Celebrating the New Year with Ram's Horns and Dipping Apples into Honey

Leviticus specifies the celebration each fall of Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year with the blasting of ram's horns, ritual blessing, worship, and the sharing of special foods. Many of us in the Christian Church have transported these celebrations to January 1st when most of the world celebrates the promise of a new year.

Two parts of this ancient New Year's celebration are particularly fun with children:  the making and blowing of the "Ram's Horn," and the dipping of apples into honey.

Here's a great link about the wonderful tradition and ritual of dipping apples.  Children can create an "apple bowl" to take home and share this tradition, or prepare it for each other, or the congregation. I've incorporated the dipping of apples into the Communion liturgy. We noted that Jesus himself likely celebrated this way, and we used the Hebrew phrase spoken during the ritual which everyone seemed to enjoy All in all, it was well received.

Google "apples and honey" and "blowing the ram's horn" for more details on that theologically rich tradition.

This teacher has come up with a great way for kids to make their own ram's horns using a party horn, paper tube and colorful masking tape. My Tip: cut the party horn tube and insert it into the paper tube then tape together, rather than just using the mouthpiece. Why "horns"?  To announce the coming of the King into his Temple and his bestowing of a new year upon us!  

Here's wiki's entry on what to say at New Year's

The Hebrew common greeting on Rosh Hashanah is Shanah Tovah (Hebrew: שנה טובה‎) (pronounced [ʃaˈna toˈva]), which translated from Hebrew means "[have] a good year". Often Shanah Tovah Umetukah (Hebrew: שנה טובה ומתוקה‎), meaning "A Good and Sweet Year", is used.