Rosh Hashanah 2026: Traditions, Meaning and the Sweetness of a New Year
Le CapitaineRosh Hashanah 2026
Traditions, meaning, and the sweetness of a brand-new year.
As summer softens into autumn, Jewish families around the world gather to welcome Rosh Hashanah — the Jewish New Year and the head of the High Holy Days. It is a time of reflection, renewal, and hope, celebrated with prayer, family, and, above all, sweetness. And where there is sweetness, there is honey.
At the heart of the table sits a simple, powerful gesture: a slice of crisp apple dipped in golden honey, shared with the wish for a good and sweet year ahead.
What is Rosh Hashanah?
Rosh Hashanah (literally “head of the year”) marks the beginning of the Jewish calendar year. In 2026 it is observed from sundown on Friday, September 11 through nightfall on Sunday, September 13. It opens the Ten Days of Awe that lead to Yom Kippur — a season of introspection, forgiveness, and setting intentions for the year to come. It is solemn and joyful all at once: a fresh start seasoned with hope.
Six beloved traditions
Apples & Honey
The signature ritual: apple slices dipped in honey to symbolise the wish for a sweet new year.
The Shofar
A ram's horn is sounded in synagogue — a stirring call to reflection and renewal.
Round Challah
Bread braided in a circle for the cycle of the year, often drizzled with honey instead of salt.
Pomegranate
Its many seeds represent a year full of good deeds and abundant blessings.
Tashlich
By flowing water, families symbolically cast away the mistakes of the past year.
Shanah Tovah
Loved ones greet one another with wishes for a good and sweet year: Shanah Tovah u'Metukah.
Why honey? The sweetest symbol
Of all the foods on the Rosh Hashanah table, honey carries the deepest wish. Dipping bread or apple into honey is a prayer made edible — an invitation for the year ahead to be as sweet as the nectar itself. For a gesture this meaningful, the quality of the honey matters. A pure, unpasteurised honey keeps all its living enzymes, floral aromas, and golden character.
Since 1959, Le Capitaine has poured Quebec's finest raw honeys at Marché Jean-Talon — clover, wildflower, blueberry, and buckwheat.
Discover our honey collection →Set your table with Le Capitaine
Three pure Quebec honeys to make your celebration shine:
Good to know
When exactly is Rosh Hashanah in 2026?
It begins at sundown on Friday, September 11 and ends at nightfall on Sunday, September 13, 2026.
Why apples and honey?
The apple represents the fruit of the harvest, and honey symbolises sweetness. Together they express the central wish of the holiday: a good and sweet new year.
Which honey is best for the holiday?
A mild, pure honey like clover or blueberry blossom is ideal for apples and challah. All of Le Capitaine's honeys are raw and unpasteurised, straight from Quebec hives.
Wishing you a sweet year
Bring home the golden centrepiece of your celebration — pure, raw honey from Marché Jean-Talon.
Shop the honey collection →Shanah Tovah u'Metukah — a good and sweet year!