The Jewish High Holidays begin Wednesday with Rosh Hashanah

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, starts at sundown on Wednesday and ends at nightfall on Friday.

Rosh Hashanah is a time for reflection, rejoicing, and repentance. It also marks the start of the Jewish High Holidays, a 10-day season that ends with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

One of the most significant rituals during Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of the Shofar, or ram’s horn. Its trumpet-like sound is used as a call to repentance during the High Holy Days.

There are different ways to mark the new year, and several of them involve food.

Eating apples apples dipped in honey symbolizes the hope for a sweet year to come. Pomegranates are eaten because the seeds are symbolic of the many commandments in the Torah that Jews must fulfill.

Also, challah bread is baked in round loaves, instead of braided loaves, to represent the eternal cycle of life The bread is dipped in honey instead of salt, symbolizing the hopes for a sweet New Year.

Click here to learn more about Rosh Hashanah.