Tu bishvat holiday
In Hebrew, Tu bishvat (ט"ו בשְׁבָט) means 15th day of the month of Shevat in the Hebrew calendar.
In Hebrew this day is known as the New Year for trees (ראש השנה לאילנות).
Tu bishvat is not mentioned in the Torah and it is not an official religious holiday.
The 15th of Shevat is the midpoint between fall and spring. As such it marks a transition mid-point in the agricultural calendar.
Customs of celebrating Tu bishvat
- Eating fruits grown in Israel: It is customary to eat a lot of fruits on this day; especially of the seven fruits with which the Torah praises the Land of Israel: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates.
- Planting trees.
Relevant excerpts from the Torah
- "For the Lord your God will bring you to a good land... A land of wheat and barley and vine and fig and pomegranate, a land of olive oil and honey" (the "honey" refers to date honey). (Dvarim 8:8)
- כִּי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, מְבִיאֲךָ אֶל-אֶרֶץ טוֹבָה: אֶרֶץ, נַחֲלֵי מָיִם--עֲיָנֹת וּתְהֹמֹת, יֹצְאִים בַּבִּקְעָה וּבָהָר.
- אֶרֶץ חִטָּה וּשְׂעֹרָה, וְגֶפֶן וּתְאֵנָה וְרִמּוֹן; אֶרֶץ-זֵית שֶׁמֶן, וּדְבָשׁ