Hashanah

Hashanah is a Hebrew term that literally means “the year.” It is formed from the noun shanah, meaning year, with the definite article ha-, but in usage it appears most often as part of phrases rather than as an independent everyday noun.

The most familiar appearance in English-language discussion is in Rosh Hashanah, literally “the head of the year,” which refers to the Jewish New Year and marks the beginning of the civil year in the Hebrew calendar. In modern Hebrew, hashanah occurs in phrases such as ha-shanah hazot meaning “this year.” The word’s significance is largely linguistic and cultural, tied to the annual cycle rather than to a separate holiday or institution.

Rosh Hashanah is observed with prayers, festive meals, and liturgical customs such as the sounding of the shofar. It falls on the first two days of Tishrei in the Hebrew calendar (with some variation between Israel and the diaspora). The concept of hashanah thus situates the year within Jewish timekeeping and religious observance, forming the opening of the High Holy Days that culminate in Yom Kippur.

In English-language contexts, hashanah is usually encountered as part of the name Rosh Hashanah or in discussions of Hebrew vocabulary describing time (the year). It is not a separate holiday or practice on its own, but a linguistic element central to the naming and framing of the annual cycle in Jewish tradition.