Tu Bishvat – the New Year for Trees
The 15th of Shevat on the Jewish calendar—celebrated this year on Thursday, January 25, 2024—is celebrated as the New Year for Trees.
Commonly known as Tu Bishvat (the Hebrew date), this day marks the season in which the earliest blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle. This is also the time when the almond tree blossoms. Many locals and tourists alike flock to the countryside to enjoy the beauty of the stunning white almond blossom, a harbinger of spring and the rebirth of nature.
Almond trees in blossom
In Israel, the holiday has developed over the years into a celebration of agriculture, tree-planting (the Israeli Arbor Day), and an ecological awareness day, with communities emphasizing all kinds of actions and activism related to the environment and the natural world.
The tradition of planting trees in Israel on Tu Bishvat began at the end of the nineteenth century and was adopted by the Jewish National Fund in the early twentieth century. Hundreds of new forests were planted throughout the land and eucalyptus trees were planted in the Hula valley at the turn of the century to stop the plague of malaria. Today, there are many tree-planting events for families and children that take place in the country’s forests on Tu Bishvat.
In addition, the day is marked by eating fruit, particularly from the kinds that are singled out in the Bible in its praise of the bounty of the Holy Land: grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates. Many choose to hold a special Tu Bishvat Seder, a festive ceremony in which many different kinds of fruits are eaten, four cups of wine are drunk, blessings are recited, and stories related to the holiday are shared.
According to KKL-JNF Chairman Ifat Ovadia-Losky: “Tu Bishvat, the new year for trees, connects us to the land, to our roots and the nature of the Land of Israel. This year, as we mark Tu Bishvat in the shadow of war, tree planting takes on the added meaning of resurrection and regrowth.”
Some of the KKL-JNF activities for Tu Bishvat include, among others:
• The KKL-JNF Happy Truck will travel across the country from north to south, visiting hospitals, military bases, city centers, educational institutions, and more to bring joy and the message of the rebirth of nature.
• Drive and Plant – a KKL-JNF initiative in forests and parks inviting the public to plant trees in nature.
• A celebration in the nursery – a day of experiential activity for the family in plant nurseries around the country, following the life of a tree sapling from seed to the time it leaves the nursery for the forest.
• Tours for adults/families in a unique forest in Israel, where 350 different species of trees grow side by side.
The tours focus on the story of these unique trees which were brought to Israel where they adapted to their new environment and gained in strength despite the difficulties.