Judaism

====Three pilgrimage festivals====
{{Main|Shalosh regalim}}
Jewish holy days (''chaggim''), celebrate landmark events in Jewish history, such as the [[Exodus from Egypt]] and the giving of the Torah, and sometimes mark the change of seasons and transitions in the agricultural cycle. The three major festivals, Sukkot, Passover and Shavuot, are called "regalim" (derived from the Hebrew word "regel", or foot). On the three regalim, it was customary for the Israelites to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices in the Temple:
* [[File:Farhi_Haggadah_736756_0024.tif|thumb|A [[haggadah]] used by the Jewish community of Cairo in Arabic]] [[Passover]] (''Pesach'') is a week-long holiday beginning on the evening of the 14th day of [[Nisan]] (the first month in the Hebrew calendar), that commemorates the [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] from Egypt. Outside Israel, Passover is celebrated for eight days. In ancient times, it coincided with the barley harvest. It is the only holiday that centers on home-service, the [[Passover Seder|Seder]]. [[leavening agent|Leavened]] products ([[chametz]]) are removed from the house prior to the holiday and are not consumed throughout the week. Homes are thoroughly cleaned to ensure no bread or bread by-products remain, and a symbolic burning of the last vestiges of chametz is conducted on the morning of the Seder. [[Matzah|Matzo]] is eaten instead of bread.
* [[Shavuot]] ("Pentecost" or "Feast of Weeks") celebrates the revelation of the [[Torah]] to the [[Israelite]]s on Mount Sinai. Also known as the Festival of Bikurim, or first fruits, it coincided in biblical times with the wheat harvest. Shavuot customs include all-night study marathons known as Tikkun Leil Shavuot, eating dairy foods (cheesecake and blintzes are special favorites), reading the Book of Ruth, decorating homes and synagogues with greenery, and wearing white clothing, symbolizing purity.
* [[File:Sukkoth_-_IZE10160.jpg|thumb|A [[sukkah]]]] [[Sukkot]] ("Tabernacles" or "The Festival of Booths") commemorates the Israelites' forty years of wandering through the desert on their way to the Promised Land. It is celebrated through the construction of temporary booths called ''sukkot'' (sing. ''[[sukkah]]'') that represent the temporary shelters of the Israelites during their wandering. It coincides with the fruit harvest and marks the end of the agricultural cycle. Jews around the world eat in ''sukkot'' for seven days and nights. Sukkot concludes with [[Shemini Atzeret]], where Jews begin to pray for rain and [[Simchat Torah]], "Rejoicing of the Torah", a holiday which marks reaching the end of the Torah reading cycle and beginning all over again. The occasion is celebrated with singing and dancing with the Torah scrolls. Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are technically considered to be a separate holiday and not a part of Sukkot.

[[File:Breaking_of_Yom_Kippur_fast_with_Roti_and_Samosas_(8034851404).jpg|thumb|Jews in Mumbai break the Yom Kippur fast with [[roti]] and [[samosa]]s]]