Israel celebrates the New Year of trees
07.02.2023
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Israelis plant seedlings in honor of the new year of trees according to the Jewish calendar.
Thousands of seedlings are planted these days by Israelis, celebrating this year's Tu bi-shvat, or New Year of trees, which falls on Monday. It is celebrated on the 15th of the month of Shvat according to the Jewish calendar, which is where the name of the holiday comes from (Tu bi-shvat is a letter designation for "the fifteenth day of the month of Shvat" in Hebrew - approx. TASS).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took part in a traditional tree planting ceremony on Tu bi-shvat in Jerusalem on Monday. It took place in the Neve Yaakov area near the place where a Palestinian terrorist killed seven people during a gun attack on January 27, the Prime Minister's office said. "We know that the proper response to terrorism is to strike at it," the Prime minister's press service distributed the statements he made during the ceremony.
History and significance of the holiday During the existence of the Temple in Jerusalem, Tu bi-shvat was not considered a holiday, this day served to clarify the regime of temple sacrifices.
Fruits that were tied on trees before this date were considered to belong to the old harvest, and after it — to the new one. Then, in order to establish the boundary between fiscal years in terms of collecting taxes from fruit trees, the same boundary was designated — the 15th of the month of Shvat. In addition, the holiday is important for determining the age of trees, which is especially important for Jews, since believers are prohibited from using the fruits of a young tree during the first three years from the beginning of fruiting.
According to a tradition dating back to biblical times, it is believed that on this day the fate of each tree is decided in heaven: whether it will be granted life or it is destined to be cut down, one will bear fruit, the other will wither. Although the holiday falls in winter, it marks the beginning of the ripening of many fruits, as well as the imminent flowering of almond trees in Israel.
Tu bi-shvat became a holiday in the XVI century thanks to Kabbalists from the city of Safed. Then this date was given a new meaning: Tu bi-shvat began to be celebrated as a special holiday of the Land of Israel. Nowadays Tu bi-shvat has acquired the character of a holiday of love for nature, and its main modern custom is the planting of trees. In Tu bi-shvat, many residents of Israel go to the bosom of nature precisely in order to plant seedlings, special ceremonies are held on the territories of schools and military units.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took part in a traditional tree planting ceremony on Tu bi-shvat in Jerusalem on Monday. It took place in the Neve Yaakov area near the place where a Palestinian terrorist killed seven people during a gun attack on January 27, the Prime Minister's office said. "We know that the proper response to terrorism is to strike at it," the Prime minister's press service distributed the statements he made during the ceremony.
History and significance of the holiday During the existence of the Temple in Jerusalem, Tu bi-shvat was not considered a holiday, this day served to clarify the regime of temple sacrifices.
Fruits that were tied on trees before this date were considered to belong to the old harvest, and after it — to the new one. Then, in order to establish the boundary between fiscal years in terms of collecting taxes from fruit trees, the same boundary was designated — the 15th of the month of Shvat. In addition, the holiday is important for determining the age of trees, which is especially important for Jews, since believers are prohibited from using the fruits of a young tree during the first three years from the beginning of fruiting.
According to a tradition dating back to biblical times, it is believed that on this day the fate of each tree is decided in heaven: whether it will be granted life or it is destined to be cut down, one will bear fruit, the other will wither. Although the holiday falls in winter, it marks the beginning of the ripening of many fruits, as well as the imminent flowering of almond trees in Israel.
Tu bi-shvat became a holiday in the XVI century thanks to Kabbalists from the city of Safed. Then this date was given a new meaning: Tu bi-shvat began to be celebrated as a special holiday of the Land of Israel. Nowadays Tu bi-shvat has acquired the character of a holiday of love for nature, and its main modern custom is the planting of trees. In Tu bi-shvat, many residents of Israel go to the bosom of nature precisely in order to plant seedlings, special ceremonies are held on the territories of schools and military units.
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