Rosh Hashanah begins tonight. Here's how to celebrate in Sonoma, Napa counties

As the sun sets at 6:33 p.m. on Wednesday, local Jewish communities will welcome Rosh Hashanah – a two-day festival that combines celebration and reflection and marks the start of the Jewish New Year.

Here's what you need to know about this significant holiday.

What is Rosh Hashanah?

According to Britannica, Rosh Hashanah begins on the first of Tishri, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. It marks the beginning of the High Holidays and initiates a ten-day period of reflection on the relationship with God, culminating with Yom Kippur, the second High Holiday.

Although Rosh Hashanah is not specifically mentioned in the Torah, Judaism's founding religious text, it does refer to a holy occasion that occurred around the same time. The holiday was likely established before the sixth century, but the phrase “Rosh Hashanah” first appears in the Mishnah, a Jewish legal code compiled in 200 AD, according to the History Channel.

When is Rosh Hashanah?

This year, the celebrations begin at sunset on Wednesday, or 6:33 p.m., and last until nightfall on Friday.

How to celebrate

Rosh Hashanah is marked by events such as services in synagogues, meals with traditional foods and lit candles.

The playing of the shofar, a trumpet made from a ram's horn, is an essential part of the festival. The shofar is blown after the reading of the three prayers during Musaf, the additional service, in the synagogue.

Around 100 shofar blows are said to be heard over the course of the holiday.

After the service, many people meet for traditional meals. According to Chabad.org, the menu could include bread — traditionally round loaves of challah — dipped in honey in hopes of a sweet year and apple slices dipped in honey for the first night.

On Rosh Hashanah, Jewish people typically greet each other with the Hebrew phrase “L'shana tovah,” or “for a good year.”

Where to celebrate in Sonoma, Napa counties?

There are several locations where residents can gather for Rosh Hashanah services and celebrations, including:

Sonoma County:

• Joseph Weingarten Chabad Jewish Center, 2461 Summerfield Road, Santa Rosa
• Congregation Shomrei Torah at 2600 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa
• Congregation Beth Ami, 4676 Mayette Ave., Santa Rosa
• Ner Shalom Congregation, 85 La Plaza, Cotati
• Chabad Jewish Center of Petaluma, 205 Keller St., #101, Petaluma
• Shir Shalom Congregation, 252 W. Spain St., Sonoma
• B'nai Israel Jewish Center, 740 Western Ave., Petaluma

Napa County:

• Congregation Beth Shalom at 1455 Elm St., Napa

Reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at [email protected]. On X (Twitter) @madi.smals.