The New Year in the Old Testament
So we're about to celebrate New Year's Day in just a few days here in the United States, but what was New Year's like in the Bible?
In the Old Testament, God told the Israelites to celebrate certain festivals throughout the year, and one of these festivals is called the Festival of Trumpets (Numbers 29:1-6). On this day, the Israelites were not to do their regular work, and were to bring God a special offering and meet together to worship Him. They were called to this meeting when they heard the trumpet blown, so that's why it's called the Festival of Trumpets.Â
Traditionally, the Jewish people have celebrated the Festival of Trumpets, or “Rosh Hashanah”, as the first day of the new year. It's also the first day of ten days of repentance, when Jews think back to all the bad stuff they did in the past year and ask God to forgive them. Then on the tenth day, the Day of Atonement, they offer God a special sacrifice to make up for, or “atone” for, their sins.
The trumpet used to bring the Israelites together is made from a ram's horn, and it's called a “shofar”. Listen to what it sounds like below.
