JEWISH CALENDAR FOR 5768

It struck me that you might need an updated calendar for this year. Especially if you are not Jewish. But even if you are, you may think that the calendar you currently work with is somewhat confusing....... Yawm Ha Mawlad Yushka seems to fall on a different day of Teves (or Kislev) every year, and the Gentile festival of eggs sometimes seems to overlap Peysach, sometimes not. It is all very strange.

So, for the benefit of MOT and Nation alike, here's the Calendar for the coming twelve months.


JEWISH CALENDAR FOR THE YEAR 5768 (2007 - 2008)

09/13/07 New year: Rosh HaShanah. 13 September 2007 (Thursday).
09/16/07 Fast of Gedalia: Tzom Gdalya. 16 September (Sunday).
09/22/07 Day of Attonement: Yom Kippur. 22 September 2007 (Saturday).
09/27/07 Festival of Booths: Sukkos. 27 September 2007 (Thursday) through 4 October 2007 (Thursday).
10/03/07 Great Rejoicing: Hosanna Raba. 3 October (Wednesday).
10/04/07 Conclusion of the period of the New Year and the festival of booths: Shemini Atzeres. 4 October 2007 (Thursday).
10/05/07 Rejoicing with the Torah: Simchas Torah. 5 October 2007 (Friday).
10/05/07 End of the festival of booths. Isru Chag.
Note: because the end of Sukkos coincides with the Sabbath, Simchas Torah and Isru Chag move up one.
10/13/07 Natal day of a blogger. 13 October 2007 (Saturday).
11/23/07 Second day of Thanksgiving: Roast Duck Day. 23 November 2007 (Friday).
12/05/07 Festival of lights (marking the rededication of the Temple): Chanukah. 5 December 2007 (Wednesday) through 12 December 2007 (Wednesday).
12/05/07 Sinterklaas Avond: Saint Nicholas Eve: Dutch gift-giving day for the little screamers: gifts if good, coal and a whupping if bad. 5 December 2007 (Wednesday).
12/06/07 Sinterklaas: Saint Nicholas Day: Marzipan or misery (see above). 6 December 2007 (Thursday).
12/19/07 Fasting day marking the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians; Asarah b'teves: tenth day of Teves. 19 December (Wednesday).
01/22/08 New Year of the trees: Tu Bishvas. 22 January 2008 (Tuesday).
01/31/08 Beginning of Carneval: Prince Carneval starts visiting all the bars in town to drink from the ceremonial beer vessel, which holds at least a litre. There are three hundred or more bars in town. Carneval lasts five more days. 31 January 2008 (Thursday).
02/05/08 Last day of Carneval: The totemic giant statues in the centre of town have probably been torched by the local yobbos by now, unless the police have found a safe place to hide them. But don't worry - we'll find out where they are, and they will burn. Prince Carneval has probably had his stomach pumped five times by now; a few more hours won't hurt him. 5 February 2008 (Tuesday).
02/06/08 Communal Depression. 6 February 2008 (Wednesday).
02/07/08 Chinese New Year / Tet. 7 February 2008 (Thursday).
03/14/07 Beginning of Irish Day of Accomplishments. 14 March 2008 (Friday).
03/15/07 Second Day of Irish Day of Accomplishments. 15 March 2008 (Saturday).
03/16/08 Third day of Irish Day of Accomplishments. 16 March 2008 (Sunday).
03/17/08 Last Day of Irish Day of Accomplishments. 17 March 2008 (Monday).
03/18/08 Irish Influenza Day. 18 March 2008 (Tuesday).
03/20/07 Ta'anis Esther: Fast of Esther. 20 March 2008. (Thursday).
03/21/08 Feast of Lots: Purim. 21 March 2008 (Friday). Drink and party.
03/23/08 Second day of Purim, in Israel only: Shushan Purim. 23 March (Sunday).
04/20/08 Passover; Pesach: 20 April 2008 (Sunday) through 27 April (Sunday).
05/02/08 Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah). 2 May 2008 (Friday).
05/04/08 Wreath Day (Dutch). 4 May 2008 (Sunday).
05/05/08 Criticise 2nd. Generation Muslim Immigrants Day (Dutch) / Play Kickball With Wreaths Day (Muslim Immigrants). 5 May 2008 (Monday).
05/06/08 Pontificate About How The Country Is Going To Hell In Handbasket Day (Dutch). 6 May 2008 (Tuesday).
05/07/08 Israel Memorial Day (Yom HaZikaron). 7 May 2008 (Wednesday).
05/07/08 Back to Normal Bellyaching Day (Dutch). 7 May 2008 (Wednesday).
05/08/08 Israel Independence Day (Yom HaAtzmaut). 8 May 2008 (Thursday).
05/23/08 Lag B'Omer: 23 May 2008 (Friday). Bonfire.
06/09/08 Shavuos: 9 June 2008 (Monday). Eat cheesecake.
08/10/08 Fast memorializing several tragedies, especially the destruction of the Temple; Tisha B'Av. 10 August 2008 (Sunday).


For an intro to the Jewish Calendar, see this posting:
http://atthebackofthehill.blogspot.com/2007/04/jewish-calendar.html


Please note that purely for my own convenience I have interpolated a few significant days that are not, strictly speaking, of any Jewish import whatsoever in the list above. They are easy to spot. Feel free to celebrate them anyway.