Sephardic Jewish Holidays: A Complete Guide

• 🔴 No work is permitted — this year Tu BiShvat falls on Shabbat.

Tu BiShvat, the New Year for the Trees, celebrates renewal and the connection between Jewish life and the Land of Israel. Sephardic communities developed rich traditions around fruits, blessings, and mystical Tu BiShvat gatherings, particularly in the kabbalistic tradition of Safed.

• 🟢 Work is permitted, though many communities avoid unnecessary work.
• ⏳ Ta’anit Esther, the Fast of Esther, is observed Monday, March 22, 2027, from dawn until nightfall.

Purim celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from destruction in the Persian Empire, as told in the Book of Esther. Sephardic communities have preserved distinctive Purim melodies, foods, pastries, and storytelling traditions, including regional variations of the Purim feast and mishloach manot.

• 🔴 No work is permitted on Thursday, April 22 – Friday, April 23 and Wednesday, April 28 – Thursday, April 29.
• 🟢 Work is permitted during Chol HaMoed, with holiday restrictions: Sunday, April 25 – Tuesday, April 27.
• 🔴 Saturday, April 24 is Shabbat Chol HaMoed — no work is permitted.
• ℹ️ Yom Tov leads directly into Shabbat this year, so an Eruv Tavshilin is prepared on Wednesday, April 21, before the holiday begins.
• ℹ️ Rather than Yizkor, Sephardic communities recite Hashkavah, the memorial prayer for the departed; customs vary on which festival days it is said.

Passover celebrates the Exodus from Egypt and the birth of the Jewish people as a free nation. Sephardic traditions often preserve a particularly broad culinary heritage during Pesach, with many communities permitting kitniyot such as rice and legumes while maintaining the strict prohibition against chametz.

• 🟢 Work is permitted.
• ℹ️ For many Sephardic communities, Lag BaOmer is celebrated as the Hilula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, with music, piyyutim, bonfires, and communal celebration.

Lag BaOmer is the 33rd day of the Omer and holds special significance in Sephardic and Middle Eastern Jewish tradition. It is widely celebrated as the Hilula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, with gatherings, music, bonfires, and celebrations honoring the great sage and mystical traditions associated with him.

• 🔴 No work is permitted on Friday, June 11 – Saturday, June 12.
• ℹ️ Yom Tov leads directly into Shabbat this year, so an Eruv Tavshilin is prepared on Thursday, June 10, before the holiday begins.
• ℹ️ Rather than Yizkor, Sephardic communities recite Hashkavah, the memorial prayer for the departed; customs vary on which festival days it is said.

Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and also celebrates the ancient wheat harvest. Sephardic communities preserve distinctive melodies, piyyutim, foods, and all-night Torah-learning traditions that make the festival a celebration of both Torah and heritage.

• ⏳ A complete fast is observed from sunset until nightfall.
• ℹ️ The day commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem and other tragedies in Jewish history.
• ℹ️ For Sephardic Jews, Tisha B’Av also carries the memory of the destruction of Sefarad and the Expulsion from Spain.
• ⏳ The Three Weeks begin with the Fast of 17 Tammuz on Thursday, July 22, 2027, observed from dawn until nightfall.
• ℹ️ For Sephardim, following the Shulchan Aruch, mourning customs such as refraining from haircuts and laundering apply mainly during the week in which Tisha B’Av falls — this year beginning Saturday night, August 7. Customs vary; consult your rabbi.

Tisha B’Av is Judaism’s national day of mourning, commemorating the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem and the tragedies that followed throughout Jewish history. For Sephardic Jews, the day also carries the memory of the destruction of Sefarad and the 1492 Expulsion, linking the mourning of Jerusalem with the preservation of Sephardic heritage across the Diaspora.

• 🔴 No work is permitted on Saturday, October 2 – Sunday, October 3.
• ⏳ Tzom Gedaliah, the Fast of Gedaliah, is observed Monday, October 4, 2027, from dawn until nightfall.
• ℹ️ For Sephardim, Selichot traditionally begin on 2 Elul, about a month before Rosh Hashanah. This year that is Saturday, September 4, 2027. Explore Sephardic Selichot →

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and the beginning of the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe. Sephardic communities enter the season through an extended period of Selichot, with distinctive melodies and traditions that prepare the heart for repentance, renewal, and the coming year.

• 🔴 No work is permitted.
• ⏳ A complete fast is observed from sunset until nightfall.
• ℹ️ Sephardic communities recite Hashkavah, the memorial prayer for the departed, in place of the Ashkenazic Yizkor.

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, a day devoted to fasting, prayer, repentance, and reconciliation. Sephardic liturgy is marked by powerful melodies and ancient piyyutim that guide the community through the solemn services of the day.

• 🔴 No work is permitted on Saturday, October 16 – Sunday, October 17.
• 🟢 Work is permitted during Chol HaMoed, with holiday restrictions: Monday, October 18 – Friday, October 22.

Sukkot is the festival of booths and one of the three pilgrimage festivals. Sephardic families traditionally bring the joy of the holiday into the sukkah through distinctive foods, melodies, hospitality, and the mitzvah of the Four Species.

• 🔴 No work is permitted.
• ℹ️ Rather than Yizkor, Sephardic communities recite Hashkavah, the memorial prayer for the departed; customs vary on which festival days it is said.

Shemini Atzeret is a distinct festival immediately following Sukkot. Rather than simply extending Sukkot, it is understood as a final intimate gathering with God, marked by special prayers, celebration, and the transition toward the next season of the Jewish year.

• 🔴 No work is permitted.

Simchat Torah celebrates the completion and immediate renewal of the annual Torah-reading cycle. Sephardic communities mark the occasion with singing, dancing, special melodies, and the joy of beginning the Torah again from Bereshit.

• 🟢 Work is permitted, except on Shabbat (Saturday, December 5 and Saturday, December 12).
• ℹ️ On Friday, December 4 and Friday, December 11, light the hanukkiah before lighting Shabbat candles.
• ⏳ The Fast of 10 Tevet (Asara B’Tevet) follows on Sunday, December 20, 2026, observed from dawn until nightfall.

Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the enduring miracle of the oil. Across Sephardic communities, the holiday has inspired distinctive songs, foods, family customs, and traditions of lighting the hanukkiah.

• 🔴 No work is permitted — this year Tu BiShvat falls on Shabbat.

Tu BiShvat, the New Year for the Trees, celebrates renewal and the connection between Jewish life and the Land of Israel. Sephardic communities developed rich traditions around fruits, blessings, and mystical Tu BiShvat gatherings, particularly in the kabbalistic tradition of Safed.

• 🟢 Work is permitted, though many communities avoid unnecessary work.
• ⏳ Ta’anit Esther, the Fast of Esther, is observed Monday, March 22, 2027, from dawn until nightfall.

Purim celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from destruction in the Persian Empire, as told in the Book of Esther. Sephardic communities have preserved distinctive Purim melodies, foods, pastries, and storytelling traditions, including regional variations of the Purim feast and mishloach manot.

• 🔴 No work is permitted on Thursday, April 22 – Friday, April 23 and Wednesday, April 28 – Thursday, April 29.
• 🟢 Work is permitted during Chol HaMoed, with holiday restrictions: Sunday, April 25 – Tuesday, April 27.
• 🔴 Saturday, April 24 is Shabbat Chol HaMoed — no work is permitted.
• ℹ️ Yom Tov leads directly into Shabbat this year, so an Eruv Tavshilin is prepared on Wednesday, April 21, before the holiday begins.
• ℹ️ Rather than Yizkor, Sephardic communities recite Hashkavah, the memorial prayer for the departed; customs vary on which festival days it is said.

Passover celebrates the Exodus from Egypt and the birth of the Jewish people as a free nation. Sephardic traditions often preserve a particularly broad culinary heritage during Pesach, with many communities permitting kitniyot such as rice and legumes while maintaining the strict prohibition against chametz.

• 🟢 Work is permitted.
• ℹ️ For many Sephardic communities, Lag BaOmer is celebrated as the Hilula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, with music, piyyutim, bonfires, and communal celebration.

Lag BaOmer is the 33rd day of the Omer and holds special significance in Sephardic and Middle Eastern Jewish tradition. It is widely celebrated as the Hilula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, with gatherings, music, bonfires, and celebrations honoring the great sage and mystical traditions associated with him.

• 🔴 No work is permitted on Friday, June 11 – Saturday, June 12.
• ℹ️ Yom Tov leads directly into Shabbat this year, so an Eruv Tavshilin is prepared on Thursday, June 10, before the holiday begins.
• ℹ️ Rather than Yizkor, Sephardic communities recite Hashkavah, the memorial prayer for the departed; customs vary on which festival days it is said.

Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and also celebrates the ancient wheat harvest. Sephardic communities preserve distinctive melodies, piyyutim, foods, and all-night Torah-learning traditions that make the festival a celebration of both Torah and heritage.

• ⏳ A complete fast is observed from sunset until nightfall.
• ℹ️ The day commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem and other tragedies in Jewish history.
• ℹ️ For Sephardic Jews, Tisha B’Av also carries the memory of the destruction of Sefarad and the Expulsion from Spain.
• ⏳ The Three Weeks begin with the Fast of 17 Tammuz on Thursday, July 22, 2027, observed from dawn until nightfall.
• ℹ️ For Sephardim, following the Shulchan Aruch, mourning customs such as refraining from haircuts and laundering apply mainly during the week in which Tisha B’Av falls — this year beginning Saturday night, August 7. Customs vary; consult your rabbi.

Tisha B’Av is Judaism’s national day of mourning, commemorating the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem and the tragedies that followed throughout Jewish history. For Sephardic Jews, the day also carries the memory of the destruction of Sefarad and the 1492 Expulsion, linking the mourning of Jerusalem with the preservation of Sephardic heritage across the Diaspora.

• 🔴 No work is permitted on Saturday, October 2 – Sunday, October 3.
• ⏳ Tzom Gedaliah, the Fast of Gedaliah, is observed Monday, October 4, 2027, from dawn until nightfall.
• ℹ️ For Sephardim, Selichot traditionally begin on 2 Elul, about a month before Rosh Hashanah. This year that is Saturday, September 4, 2027. Explore Sephardic Selichot →

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and the beginning of the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe. Sephardic communities enter the season through an extended period of Selichot, with distinctive melodies and traditions that prepare the heart for repentance, renewal, and the coming year.

• 🔴 No work is permitted.
• ⏳ A complete fast is observed from sunset until nightfall.
• ℹ️ Sephardic communities recite Hashkavah, the memorial prayer for the departed, in place of the Ashkenazic Yizkor.

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, a day devoted to fasting, prayer, repentance, and reconciliation. Sephardic liturgy is marked by powerful melodies and ancient piyyutim that guide the community through the solemn services of the day.

• 🔴 No work is permitted on Saturday, October 16 – Sunday, October 17.
• 🟢 Work is permitted during Chol HaMoed, with holiday restrictions: Monday, October 18 – Friday, October 22.

Sukkot is the festival of booths and one of the three pilgrimage festivals. Sephardic families traditionally bring the joy of the holiday into the sukkah through distinctive foods, melodies, hospitality, and the mitzvah of the Four Species.

• 🔴 No work is permitted.
• ℹ️ Rather than Yizkor, Sephardic communities recite Hashkavah, the memorial prayer for the departed; customs vary on which festival days it is said.

Shemini Atzeret is a distinct festival immediately following Sukkot. Rather than simply extending Sukkot, it is understood as a final intimate gathering with God, marked by special prayers, celebration, and the transition toward the next season of the Jewish year.

• 🔴 No work is permitted.

Simchat Torah celebrates the completion and immediate renewal of the annual Torah-reading cycle. Sephardic communities mark the occasion with singing, dancing, special melodies, and the joy of beginning the Torah again from Bereshit.

• 🟢 Work is permitted, except on Shabbat (Saturday, December 25 and Saturday, January 1).
• ℹ️ On Friday, December 24 and Friday, December 31, light the hanukkiah before lighting Shabbat candles.
• ⏳ The Fast of 10 Tevet (Asara B’Tevet) follows on Sunday, January 9, 2028, observed from dawn until nightfall.

Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the enduring miracle of the oil. Across Sephardic communities, the holiday has inspired distinctive songs, foods, family customs, and traditions of lighting the hanukkiah.

• 🔴 No work is permitted — this year Tu BiShvat falls on Shabbat.

Tu BiShvat, the New Year for the Trees, celebrates renewal and the connection between Jewish life and the Land of Israel. Sephardic communities developed rich traditions around fruits, blessings, and mystical Tu BiShvat gatherings, particularly in the kabbalistic tradition of Safed.

• 🟢 Work is permitted, though many communities avoid unnecessary work.
• ⏳ Ta’anit Esther, the Fast of Esther, is observed Thursday, March 9, 2028, from dawn until nightfall — moved earlier this year because Purim falls on Sunday.

Purim celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from destruction in the Persian Empire, as told in the Book of Esther. Sephardic communities have preserved distinctive Purim melodies, foods, pastries, and storytelling traditions, including regional variations of the Purim feast and mishloach manot.

• 🔴 No work is permitted on Tuesday, April 11 – Wednesday, April 12 and Monday, April 17 – Tuesday, April 18.
• 🟢 Work is permitted during Chol HaMoed, with holiday restrictions: Thursday, April 13 – Friday, April 14 and Sunday, April 16.
• 🔴 Saturday, April 15 is Shabbat Chol HaMoed — no work is permitted.
• ℹ️ Rather than Yizkor, Sephardic communities recite Hashkavah, the memorial prayer for the departed; customs vary on which festival days it is said.

Passover celebrates the Exodus from Egypt and the birth of the Jewish people as a free nation. Sephardic traditions often preserve a particularly broad culinary heritage during Pesach, with many communities permitting kitniyot such as rice and legumes while maintaining the strict prohibition against chametz.

• 🟢 Work is permitted.
• ℹ️ For many Sephardic communities, Lag BaOmer is celebrated as the Hilula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, with music, piyyutim, bonfires, and communal celebration.

Lag BaOmer is the 33rd day of the Omer and holds special significance in Sephardic and Middle Eastern Jewish tradition. It is widely celebrated as the Hilula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, with gatherings, music, bonfires, and celebrations honoring the great sage and mystical traditions associated with him.

• 🔴 No work is permitted on Wednesday, May 31 – Thursday, June 1.
• ℹ️ Rather than Yizkor, Sephardic communities recite Hashkavah, the memorial prayer for the departed; customs vary on which festival days it is said.

Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and also celebrates the ancient wheat harvest. Sephardic communities preserve distinctive melodies, piyyutim, foods, and all-night Torah-learning traditions that make the festival a celebration of both Torah and heritage.

• ⏳ A complete fast is observed from sunset until nightfall.
• ℹ️ The day commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem and other tragedies in Jewish history.
• ℹ️ For Sephardic Jews, Tisha B’Av also carries the memory of the destruction of Sefarad and the Expulsion from Spain.
• ⏳ The Three Weeks begin with the Fast of 17 Tammuz on Tuesday, July 11, 2028, observed from dawn until nightfall.
• ℹ️ For Sephardim, following the Shulchan Aruch, mourning customs such as refraining from haircuts and laundering apply mainly during the week in which Tisha B’Av falls — this year beginning Saturday night, July 29. Customs vary; consult your rabbi.

Tisha B’Av is Judaism’s national day of mourning, commemorating the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem and the tragedies that followed throughout Jewish history. For Sephardic Jews, the day also carries the memory of the destruction of Sefarad and the 1492 Expulsion, linking the mourning of Jerusalem with the preservation of Sephardic heritage across the Diaspora.

• 🔴 No work is permitted on Thursday, September 21 – Friday, September 22.
• ℹ️ Yom Tov leads directly into Shabbat this year, so an Eruv Tavshilin is prepared on Wednesday, September 20, before the holiday begins.
• ⏳ Tzom Gedaliah, the Fast of Gedaliah, is observed Sunday, September 24, 2028, from dawn until nightfall — postponed this year because 3 Tishrei falls on Shabbat.
• ℹ️ For Sephardim, Selichot traditionally begin on 2 Elul, about a month before Rosh Hashanah. This year that is Thursday, August 24, 2028. Explore Sephardic Selichot →

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and the beginning of the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe. Sephardic communities enter the season through an extended period of Selichot, with distinctive melodies and traditions that prepare the heart for repentance, renewal, and the coming year.

• 🔴 No work is permitted.
• ⏳ A complete fast is observed from sunset until nightfall.
• ℹ️ Sephardic communities recite Hashkavah, the memorial prayer for the departed, in place of the Ashkenazic Yizkor.

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, a day devoted to fasting, prayer, repentance, and reconciliation. Sephardic liturgy is marked by powerful melodies and ancient piyyutim that guide the community through the solemn services of the day.

• 🔴 No work is permitted on Thursday, October 5 – Friday, October 6.
• 🟢 Work is permitted during Chol HaMoed, with holiday restrictions: Sunday, October 8 – Wednesday, October 11.
• 🔴 Saturday, October 7 is Shabbat Chol HaMoed — no work is permitted.
• ℹ️ Yom Tov leads directly into Shabbat this year, so an Eruv Tavshilin is prepared on Wednesday, October 4, before the holiday begins.

Sukkot is the festival of booths and one of the three pilgrimage festivals. Sephardic families traditionally bring the joy of the holiday into the sukkah through distinctive foods, melodies, hospitality, and the mitzvah of the Four Species.

• 🔴 No work is permitted.
• ℹ️ Yom Tov leads directly into Shabbat this year, so an Eruv Tavshilin is prepared on Wednesday, October 11, before the holiday begins.
• ℹ️ Rather than Yizkor, Sephardic communities recite Hashkavah, the memorial prayer for the departed; customs vary on which festival days it is said.

Shemini Atzeret is a distinct festival immediately following Sukkot. Rather than simply extending Sukkot, it is understood as a final intimate gathering with God, marked by special prayers, celebration, and the transition toward the next season of the Jewish year.

• 🔴 No work is permitted.

Simchat Torah celebrates the completion and immediate renewal of the annual Torah-reading cycle. Sephardic communities mark the occasion with singing, dancing, special melodies, and the joy of beginning the Torah again from Bereshit.

• 🟢 Work is permitted, except on Shabbat (Saturday, December 16).
• ℹ️ On Friday, December 15, light the hanukkiah before lighting Shabbat candles.
• ⏳ The Fast of 10 Tevet (Asara B’Tevet) follows on Thursday, December 28, 2028, observed from dawn until nightfall.

Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the enduring miracle of the oil. Across Sephardic communities, the holiday has inspired distinctive songs, foods, family customs, and traditions of lighting the hanukkiah.