Category: Holidays

Today is Tu B’Shevat – the beginning of the “new year” for trees.  Today marks the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.

There are few customs related to this holiday.  One is to eat a new fruit on this day, or to eat from the “Seven Species” described in the Bible as being abundant in the land of Israel. These are: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.

Another custom is to plant a tree on this day, or to collect money to plant trees in Israel.