Considered to be the most sacred holiday, the Day of Atonement is marked by general mournfulness and abstinence from pleasurable activities.  Coming at the end of the Ten Days of Awe (starting with Rosh Hashanah and finishing with Yom Kippur), it is on this solemn day that every person’s fate is sealed for the coming year. The evening and following day are dedicated to private and public confessions of guilt for sins committed, and petitions to God for clemency.

Most Jewish holidays are noted for their inclusion of a festive meal, yet Yom Kippur is 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer. While a normal Shabbat ceremony has 3 prayer services, and a normal holiday service has 4 services, Yom Kippur has 5 separate prayer services; a typical Yom Kippur ceremony starts in early morning and goes until evening.  In addition to being decreed a rest day, this holiday includes five additional prohibited activities:

1.      No food or drink

2.      No wearing of leather shoes (as these were traditionally the most comfortable)

3.      No washing or bathing

4.      No anointing oneself with perfumes or lotions

5.      Abstinence from sexual relations

By disallowing activities that typically bring a sense of enjoyment, one’s mind is free from distractions, allowing one to focus on introspective prayer.

The thematic color of Yom Kippur is white, in line with its message of self-purification through repentance and ultimately forgiveness.  Many married men clothe themselves in a white, robe like garment called a kittel, traditionally worn by men on their wedding day.  It is also customary to wear the tallit (prayer shawl), which is worn during holidays and times of prayer.  As well as special dress, Yom Kippur also has several special prayers, including slichot (petitions for forgiveness) and the Ne’ila (closing) prayer.  It is during this prayer that the ‘gates of prayer’ are closed, brining the pertinence period of the holiday to close.  The final blast of the shofar (ritual horn) concludes the holiday, and then it is on to the much anticipated ‘breaking of the fast’- of course, it would not be a Jewish holiday without food at some point!