The Three Pilgrimage Festivals include the holidays of Pesach (Passover, or the Feast of Unleavened Bread), Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks), and Sukkot (the Feast of Booths). As major Jewish holidays, all of them come with some restrictions regarding work and specific kinds of worship and celebration are required.
Passover
The holiday of Passover (Hebrew: פסח, Pesach; no clear, direct English translation) is also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It is celebrated from the 15th of the Jewish month Nisan until the 21st (or, in Israel and some progressive Jewish sects, the 22nd). The holiday commemorates the Exodus story in which the Israelites are freed from Egypt by God and with the guidance of the prophet Moses.
During the festival of Passover, Jewish people are prohibited from eating (or even owning) any chametz (food that has been leavened or that could have been leavened). This includes any food with wheat, rye, barley, oats, and spelt that has not been officially certified as kosher for Passover. In Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish communities, many people also refrain from kitniyot (rice, corn, peanuts, and legumes) because they also expand when they come into contact with water and can be confused for chametz.
Common ways Passover is celebrated include:
- Refraining from work on the first two and last two days of Passover
- Attending or hosting a seder: On the first night (and sometimes the second), Jewish people will often host or attend a seder with other family members or friends. The term seder means ''order,'' referring to the specific order of events. While food is served at a seder, there is also an elaborate retelling of the story of Exodus and many symbolic foods (and wine or grape juice) are enjoyed before the main meal.
- Eating matzah: In place of chametz, Jewish people will eat unleavened matzah. Matzah is also called Lechem Oni, the Bread of Affliction, as its rapid preparation is meant to be a reminder of the rushed flight from Egypt and the suffering of the Jewish people while enslaved there.
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Shavuot
The holiday of Shavuot (Hebrew: שבועות, Shavuot; lit. ''weeks''), also called the Feast of Weeks in English and in the biblical commandment for the holiday, is celebrated 50 days after Passover. This is the only major Jewish holiday without a specific date tied to it, though it is typically celebrated on the 5th, 6th, or 7th of Sivan (usually in May or June). The lack of a date is because it is commanded to be seven weeks plus one day after the second day of Passover, when Jewish people have finished the ''counting of the omer'' (a nightly ritual between Passover and Shavuot). If one travels across the International Dateline during their count, for example, their Shavuot will be celebrated a day before or after those around them.
Shavuot is a celebration of the Torah, which was given to the Jewish people by God on this day, according to Jewish religious tradition. Common celebrations include:
- Refraining from work: Sukkot and Passover are week-long holidays, so work is permitted throughout part of them. For Shavuot, however, which is only one day in most cases, it is required that Jewish people refrain from work for the entire holiday.
- Hearing the 10 Commandments: While the 10 Commandments were already given, it is a tradition to hear them recited on the holiday as a way to mark the occasion of the Torah being given to the Jewish people.
- All-night Torah study: As a way to celebrate the Torah, many Jewish people stay up all night to study Torah with others.
- Eating dairy: It's unclear why, but eating dairy is a common custom on Shavuot. Many Jewish people will enjoy ice cream, cheesecake, and other dairy desserts for Shavuot celebrations.
- Reading the Book of Ruth: Ruth was the first convert to Judaism, and her story (which takes place in the same time of year as Shavuot) is a reminder of the gift of the Torah and of being part of the Jewish people.
Sukkot
The holiday of Sukkot (Hebrew: סוכות, Sukkot; lit. ''booths''), also called the Feast of Booths, is celebrated from the 15th day of Tishri until the 21st of Tishri (usually September/October). It was originally a harvest festival and many of the rituals are related to prayers and petitions to God for a good harvest season. On the first and last day of the festival, work is prohibited.
Celebrations for Sukkot include:
- Constructing a sukkah (plural: sukkot): The sukkah is a dwelling meant to signify the homes the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert prior to arriving in Israel. They are constructed according to very specific guidelines, including having a roof that has holes just large enough to see the stars through.
- Eating and living in the sukkah: For the duration of the holiday, the Jewish people are required to live and eat in the sukkah.
- Holding and blessing the Four Species: The four species — the etrog, lulav, myrtle, and, willow — represent either the four ''types'' of Jewish people, the four letter name of God, or the body (the heart, eyes, spine, and lips, respectively). During Sukkot, they are joined together and shaken to the east, west, north, and south, then up high and down low. The joining of these species represents the unity of the Jewish people, of the oneness of God, and/or all elements of the individual being united in worship of God.
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