Tu B’Shevat, a minor Jewish holiday that commemorates the “New Year of the Trees”, has a bit of a head-start on most of the other days around the world celebrating trees: it’s been observed for millennia. In modern times, this holiday has become a sort of hybrid between Arbor Day and Earth Day.
Taking place this year on January 22, today, Tu B’Shevat occurs on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Shevat and coincided when the first trees of the season began to bud. Tu B’Shevat commemorates the date when the Jewish people calculated the age of their trees for the purpose of tithing. 10% of their produce would be given to the homeless and landless.
Traditional activities taking place on Tu B’Shevat include planting trees, fundraising for tree planting in Israel, and trying a new fruit. In recent years, Tu B’Shevat has come to represent much more than celebrating an ancient taxation tradition. Global warming, oil dependence, deforestation, and exploitation of land use are all issues that are being discussed at modern Tu B’Shevat celebrations.
My favorite activity is the Tu B’Shevat seder, which usually involves partaking in foods that represent seven native species of vegetation in Israel: olives, dates, figs, grapes, barley, pomegranate, and wheat. Kabbalists started the first Tu B’Shevat seder, modeled after the Passover seder that occurs in March or April, in the 1600s. The traditional Tu B’Shevat seder involves drinking four combinations of red and white wine to symbolize the four seasons. Likewise, the fruit are divided into four different categories, ranging from those that have an inedible protective covering to those whose parts are all edible and finally to a level beyond actual fruit, which is marked through tempting other senses, such as smelling cinnamon. The seder focuses on appreciating these foods and understanding a deeper connection with the environment.
Local and international organizations plan a variety of environmental action events with Tu B’Shevat as their impetus, and the holiday continues to grow in popularity for kids as well as adults. Events for 2008 include a seder featuring the reading of The Lorax (also), a seder focusing on local and organic fruits and nuts, and days of service that combine environmental and racial issues in honor of the fact that the beginning of Tu B’Shevat falls on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
While Tu B’Shevat has religious roots, the day is easily amenable to simply enjoying the Earth’s bounty with friends and family over wine, fruit, and nuts. Whether you’re Jewish or not and whether you live somewhere where the trees have started to bud or are still completely bare, take a few minutes and celebrate this hybrid holiday that’s taking on a new life of its own.
A good resource:
