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nisan

Nisan is a month in the Hebrew calendar. It is the first month of the ecclesiastical (religious) year and, in the fixed calendar used today, the seventh month of the civil year. Nisan typically falls in March or April in the Gregorian calendar and contains 30 days.

In the current calendar system, Nisan follows Adar (or Adar II in leap years) and precedes Iyar.

Etymology and usage: the name Nisan is commonly believed to derive from the ancient Babylonian month Nisannu,

Historical note: in the biblical civil calendar, Nisan was the seventh month. The present division into civil

The
month
is
associated
with
springtime
and
is
the
period
in
which
several
major
Jewish
observances
occur.
The
holiday
of
Passover
(Pesach)
begins
on
the
evening
of
15
Nisan
and
lasts
for
seven
days
in
Israel
and
eight
for
many
communities
abroad.
The
Counting
of
the
Omer
starts
on
16
Nisan.
Rosh
Chodesh
Nisan,
the
new
moon
of
Nisan,
is
observed
as
a
minor
holiday
in
some
traditions.
with
the
Hebrew
form
Nisan
reflecting
the
cordial
borrowing
of
month
names
from
the
Near
Eastern
calendrical
tradition.
The
month
is
frequently
associated
in
Jewish
liturgy
with
themes
of
renewal
and
redemption,
matching
its
position
in
springtime.
and
religious
years
reflects
a
reform
in
timekeeping,
yielding
Nisan
as
the
first
month
of
the
religious
year,
a
role
it
retains
in
contemporary
Jewish
practice.
The
month’s
central
festival,
Passover,
remains
one
of
the
most
widely
observed
Jewish
holidays.