TU BI-SHEVAT

(Hebrew: Fifteenth of Shevat), Jewish festival of the new year of trees, or arbor day. It occurs on Shevat 15 (January or early February), after most of the annual rain in Israel has fallen and when, thereafter, the fruit of a tree is considered, for tithing, to belong to a new year. Tu bi-Shevat is considered a minor holiday: certain penitential prayers are omitted from the liturgy, and fasting is not allowed. Among Ashkenazic Jews, fruitstraditionally, 15 different kindsare eaten and often accompanied by the recital of psalms. Among Sephardic Jews, Tu bi-Shevat is a significant festival, a feast of fruits accompanied by songs called complas. In modern Israel, the day has become popular in symbolizing the reclaiming of land from the desert for agriculture. Schoolchildren, in ceremonies, plant trees and sing songs.