Since Moses was told to make Passover month the first in the calendar, why is Jewish New Year in September?
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Actually, the Jewish calender begins with the month of Nisan, in the spring.  There are a few new years in Judaism - Nisan is the first month for the counting of the months.  The beginning of Tishrei - ROsh HaShana - marks the years from the creation of the universe.  There is also the new month for tree on Tu B'Shvat, the 15th of the month of Shevat.  And the beginning of Elul is the new year for maaser of cattle, or something that has to do with tithing.
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As a matter of fact, there were various ways for celebrating these events in the early centuries of the church.  Some did actually celebrate this whole series of events --including Jesus' death and resurrection-- according to the Jewish calendar, at the time of Passover, since that is when Jesus died.\n\nBut in other parts of the church the custom grew of celebrating the resurrection on the FIRST day of the week, to recall that it was on the first day that Jesus rose.\nIn fact, fairly early the churches had shifted to holding a regular weekly assembly on this day of the week, largely BECAUSE that was the day of the week on which Christ was raised (as well as the day of the week of another foundational event for the church -- the church's first Pentecost [Acts 2]).  \n\nSo, in honor of the resurrection, the first day made a lot of sense, and ultimately at the Council of Nicaea (AD 325) the various branches of the church agreed to ALWAYS celebrate the Day of Resurrection on the first day of the week.   But they determined WHICH Sunday by a formula derived from the date by which the Jews determined the yearly of Passover (that is, by the beginning of the Jewish religious year), though also 'freed' from it by using the vernal equinox as its starting point.  \n\nThus the church sought to keep TWO connections with the events of the first Easter\n1) celebrating the FIRST day of the week (thought of, also, as parallel to the creation -- the resurrection being the first day of a NEW creation)\n2) maintaining the understanding that Jesus was fulfilling the PASSOVER feast's celebration of God's redemption of his people (including his initiating "the Lord's Supper" at the Passover meal, indicating that he was fulfilling it)\n\nAs for your proposal, which would tie it to a specific date in the ROMAN calendar.  There is no evidence any in the early church ever considered doing it that way.   This may be, in part, because of some uncertainty about which year and so which precise days by the Roman calendar these things happened.   But I'm not sure they even cared about that even if they DID know the Roman date(or thought they could calculate it).  The fact is they were NOT trying to institute some new ROMAN holiday.  The connections they were interested in related, as noted above, to the first day (day of resurrection/new creation) and the fulfillment of the Jewish Passover.
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Same day...different spellings. That's all.\n"Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights or Festival of Rededication, is an eight day Jewish holiday that starts on the 25th day of Kislev, which may be in December, late November, or, while very rare in occasion, early January (as was the case for the Hannukkah of 2005–2006). The festival is observed in Jewish homes by the kindling of lights on each of the festival's eight nights, one on the first night, two on the second night and so on.\n\nIn Hebrew script, the word Hanukkah is written חנכה or חנוכה. It is most commonly transliterated to English as Hanukkah or Chanukah. " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanukah
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If you were to read this account to the average Israeli today and ask him what time of year this could be, he would likely answer, “Sometime between April and October.” Why? The answer is simple. From November to March is the cold, rainy season in Israel, and December 25 is certainly in the wintertime. Shepherds would not be living out-of-doors, keeping watch over their flocks in the fields at night. Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, is located in the higher elevations and is just a few miles from Jerusalem. Even in years when the weather is less extreme, it is quite cold there at night during the winter.—Micah 5:2; Luke 2:15.\nA look into history at the time of Jesus’ birth sheds light on the fact that he was not born during December’s snow. Jesus’ mother, Mary, although in an advanced stage of pregnancy, had to travel from her home in Nazareth to Bethlehem. She and Joseph did so to meet the requirements of the census decreed by the Roman ruler Caesar Augustus. (Luke 2:1-7) The Jewish populace, resenting the Roman rule and its heavy taxation, was already on the verge of rebellion. Why would Rome unnecessarily irritate them by requiring many to travel to be registered during the most difficult and even treacherous winter weather? Is it not far more reasonable that this would have been decreed for a season that lends itself to travel, such as spring or autumn?\n\nRECORDED EVIDENCE OF COLD WINTERS\nEzra 10:9 reports that it can get cold during the winter months as recorded in the scripture:\n"  So all the men of Judah and Benjamin collected themselves together at Jerusalem within three days, that is, in the ninth month on the twentieth [day] of the month, and all the people kept sitting in the open place of the house of the [true] God, shivering because of the matter and on account of the showers of rain.  "\nDecember corresponds to the latter part of the ninth month (Chislev) of the ancient Hebrew calendar and the early part of the tenth month (Tebeth). With this in mind, consider the account in Ezra 10:9 about something that happened just a few miles from Bethlehem:\n\nTRUTH\nAs for December the 25th being designated as Christ's birthday, substituting of factual evidence with something known as a falsehood shows disregard for the wholesome truth at the very least. What other truths could be substituted also for falsehoods.
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This year Passover was Nisan 14 (after sunset April 12, 2006) so it's too late to celebrate the Passover, or Lord's Evening Meal, unless you intend to prepare for next year or follow up on the next full moon.\n\nThe Apostle Paul “received from the Lord” instructions as to the Memorial commemoration of the Last Supper, corresponding to Passover. There are also accounts by three Gospel writers, one of whom was present when Jesus instituted this celebration. (1 Corinthians 11:23; Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:19, 20) These accounts say that Jesus first took a loaf, prayed, and then broke it and distributed it. What was that loaf? Correspondingly, what is used today? What does it mean or represent?\n\nOn hand were items from the Jewish Passover meal, one being unleavened bread, which Moses called “unfermented cakes, the bread of affliction.” (Deuteronomy 16:3; Exodus 12:8) This bread was made with wheat flour without using leaven, salt, or seasonings. Being unleavened (Hebrew, mats·tsah´), it was flat and brittle; it had to be broken to eatable size.—Mark 6:41; 8:6; Acts 27:35.\n\nJesus used unleavened bread in the Lord’s Evening Meal, so Jehovah’s Witnesses today do likewise. Regular Jewish matzoth serve this purpose if they are not made with added ingredients, such as malt, onions, or eggs. (Matzoth containing those supplements would hardly match the description “bread of affliction.”) Or the congregation elders may have someone make unleavened bread from a dough of wheat flour and water. If wheat flour is not available, unfermented bread can be made with flour from barley, rice, corn, or another grain. The dough is rolled thin and baked on a lightly oiled cooking sheet.\n\nSuch bread is appropriate because it does not contain leaven (yeast), which the Bible uses to represent corruption or sin. Paul counseled concerning an immoral man in a congregation: ‘A little leaven ferments the whole lump. Clear away the old leaven, that you may be free from ferment. Christ our passover has been sacrificed. Let us keep the festival, not with leaven of badness and wickedness, but with unfermented cakes of sincerity and truth.’ (1 Corinthians 5:6-8; compare Matthew 13:33; 16:6, 12.) Unleavened bread is a fitting symbol of Jesus’ human body, for he was “loyal, guileless, undefiled, separated from the sinners.” (Hebrews 7:26) Jesus was there present in his perfect human body when he said to the apostles: “Take and eat this [bread], it means my body.” (Matthew 26:26, A New Translation of the Bible, by James Moffatt) Partaking of the bread means that a person believes in the benefit of Jesus’ sacrifice in his behalf and accepts it. More, though, is involved.\n\nJesus used another symbol: “He also took a cup, and after thanking God he gave it to them saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you; this means my blood, the new covenant-blood, shed for many, to win the remission of their sins.’” (Matthew 26:27, 28, Moffatt) What was in that communal cup that he passed, and what does it mean for us as we strive to discern what we ourselves are?\n\nWhen Moses initially outlined the Passover feast, he mentioned no beverage. Many scholars believe that wine was introduced into the Passover much later, perhaps in the second century B.C.E. In any event, the use of wine in this meal was common in the first century, and Jesus did not object to it. He used the Passover wine when instituting the Memorial.\n\nSince the Jewish Passover occurred long after the grape harvest, Jesus would have been using, not unfermented juice, but red wine that could easily represent his blood. (Compare Revelation 14:20.) Christ’s blood did not need to be augmented, so plain wine is appropriate, rather than wines fortified with brandy (such as port, sherry, or muscatel) or having spices or herbs added (vermouth, Dubonnet, or many aperitifs). We need not, though, become worried over how a wine was processed, whether some sugar was
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Bible students are encouraged to consider:\n\n: 0% of faithful biblical Jews celebrated birthdays\n: 0% of first century Christians celebrated birthdays\n: 100% of birthdays celebrated in the bible were by debauched enemies of God (See Mark 6:17-29; Gen 40:19-22) \n\nBible historians (M'Clintock, Strong, and others) have noted that faithful Jews of the bible did not celebrate birthdays, and that ancient pagan birthday celebrations were at least partially intended to honor the patron gods of the particular day.\n\nBy comparison with such paganisms, the bible does not even tell us the birthdates of Jesus or ANY of his apostles!\n\n\nJehovah's Witnesses practice strict political and nationalistic neutrality, so they do not celebrate nationalistic holidays such as Independence Day and Memorial Day.\n\nOther holidays derive from false religion, and so are incompatible with pure worship as adulterating interfaith. For example, Easter derives from the pagan god Oestre and celebrates "rebirth" and "fertility" instead of commemorating Christ's Last Supper and death as Jesus commanded:\n(Luke 22:1-22) [Jesus] dispatched Peter and John, saying: “Go and get the passover ready for us to eat.” ...14 At length when the hour came, he reclined at the table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them: “I have greatly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you, I will not eat it again until it becomes fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ... Keep doing this in remembrance of me.”\n\nSeemingly innocuous holidays may have only a tangential connection with false worship, such as Mother's Day and Father's Day (although arguably derived from ancestor worship). Understated observance of these is not generally considered interfaith by Jehovah's Witnesses, but it is too easily misunderstood in some cultures.\n\nSince such celebrations are not required in true worship, and can easily become a distraction, so Jehovah's Witnesses focus their attention elsewhere. In particular, they are focussed on the preaching work which *IS* a requirement for Christians:\n\n(Luke 10:1-17) [Jesus] the Lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come. 2 Then he began to say to them: “The harvest, indeed, is great, but the workers are few. Therefore beg the Master of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.\n\nLearn more:\nhttp://watchtower.org/e/20050101a/article_01.htm\nhttp://watchtower.org/library/rq/article_11.htm\nhttp://watchtower.org/library/w/2000/12/15/article_01.htm
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I believe more people of Judeo-Christian faith should get into this practice. (I presume you may be of this background). Passover is an excellent holiday to be observant of. I have long not understood why Christians do not practice the same faith of Jesus Christ.\n\nThe following links should help you.
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Catholic religious holidays and feast days are pretty spread out throughout the year, not just in or near winter.\n\nI believe Jewish holidays are too.  Two of the major ones, Yom Kippur and Roshashana, are in the early fall.
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In the fourth century, Hillel II established a fixed calendar based on mathematical and astronomical calculations. This calendar, still in use, standardized the length of months and the addition of months over the course of a 19 year cycle, so that the lunar calendar realigns with the solar years. Adar I is added in the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th and 19th years of the cycle. The current cycle began in Jewish year 5758 (the year that began October 2, 1997). If you are musically inclined, you may find it helpful to remember this pattern of leap years by reference to the major scale: for each whole step there are two regular years and a leap year; for each half-step there is one regular year and a leap year. This is easier to understand when you examine the keyboard illustration below and see how it relates to the leap years above. \n\n \n\nIn addition, Yom Kippur should not fall adjacent to Shabbat, because this would cause difficulties in coordinating the fast with Shabbat, and Hoshanah Rabba should not fall on Saturday because it would interfere with the holiday's observances. A day is added to the month of Cheshvan or subtracted from the month of Kislev of the previous year to prevent these things from happening. This process is sometimes referred to as "fixing" Rosh Hashanah. \n\nNumbering of Jewish Years \nThe year number on the Jewish calendar represents the number of years since creation, calculated by adding up the ages of people in the Bible back to the time of creation. However, this does not necessarily mean that the universe has existed for only 5700 years as we understand years. Many Orthodox Jews will readily acknowledge that the first six "days" of creation are not necessarily 24-hour days (indeed, a 24-hour day would be meaningless until the creation of the sun on the fourth "day"). For a fascinating (albeit somewhat defensive) article by a nuclear physicist showing how Einstein's Theory of Relativity sheds light on the correspondence between the Torah's age of the universe and the age ascertained by science, see The Age of the Universe. \n\nJews do not generally use the words "A.D." and "B.C." to refer to the years on the Gregorian calendar. "A.D." means "the year of our L-rd," and we do not believe Jesus is the L-rd. Instead, we use the abbreviations C.E. (Common or Christian Era) and B.C.E. (Before the Common Era), which are commonly used by scholars today. \n\nMonths of the Jewish Year \nThe "first month" of the Jewish calendar is the month of Nissan, in the spring, when Passover occurs. However, the Jewish New Year is in Tishri, the seventh month, and that is when the year number is increased. This concept of different starting points for a year is not as strange as it might seem at first glance. The American "new year" starts in January, but the new "school year" starts in September, and many businesses have "fiscal years" that start at various times of the year. Similarly, the Jewish calendar has different starting points for different purposes. \n\nThe names of the months of the Jewish calendar were adopted during the time of Ezra, after the return from the Babylonian exile. The names are actually Babylonian month names, brought back to Israel by the returning exiles. Note that most of the Bible refers to months by number, not by name. \n\nThe Jewish calendar has the following months:\nHebrew English Number Length Gregorian Equivalent \n  Nissan 1 30 days March-April \n  Iyar 2 29 days April-May \n  Sivan 3 30 days May-June \n  Tammuz 4 29 days June-July \n  Av 5 30 days July-August \n  Elul 6 29 days August-September \n  Tishri 7 30 days September-October \n  Cheshvan 8 29 or 30 days October-November \n  Kislev 9 30 or 29 days November-December \n  Tevet 10 29 days December-January \n  Shevat 11 30 days January-February \n  Adar I (leap years only) 12 30 days February-March \n  A
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Judaism and Islam do not have any holidays in common.\nMost Jews will tell you that they consider Yom Kippur (the day of atonement) as the most important Jewish holidays.\nMany Muslims will tell you that the month of Rmadan is most important to them.
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That we celebrate Chanukah because of the miracle of the oil.  2000 something years ago,  in the land of Judea there was a Syrian king, Antiochus (he's bad)  he ordered all the Jews to reject God!  Of course, they fought back, led by the Macabees.  There was a war and we, the Jews won.  But - the Syrians had destroyed our holy temple... you see, in the temple is a giant menorah that is supposed to be forever burning with oil.  But they only found a small amount of oil left - enough for one night.  They lit the menorah anyway and it's lasted EIGHT nights!  It was a miracle!  In those eight nights!\nSo, I think the most inporatant thing to learn is never to give up hope.
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September 21 every year
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Yes. I am jewish and I celebrate passover. I may not wear a yamakah on my head every day, but I am not eating break this whole week. The problem with outsiders is that don't understand or know that are different types of jews due to their region (sephardics, oshkanazi, hasidics, etc)\n\nlike in my coulture (and family traditions) we will not eat bread of any kind and we will go to temple only on the first day.
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Hi,\n\nThis is generaly followed by religious Orthodox Jews. Most other Jews are barely aware of this.\n\nThere is a period in the summer time called the "Three Weeks". These weeks lead up to the hebrew date of the 9th of Av, the date that both temples in Jerusalem were destroyed. As is the case, it is considered a period of "national mourning" and some rules were adopted to demonstrate a period of mourning.\nThe last nine days are more strict than the previous. Generally speaking, one does not bathe for pleasure (but only for cleanliness). Since swimming is a form of "bathing for pleasure" (for most people), we abstain from swimming for this period.\nAnother restriction during this time period is to abstain from eating meat (except on the Sabbath).\n\nLook at a Jewish calendar to find out the exact days during a given summer. (Falls in June/July/August).\n\nOnline calendar is at www.bayt.org/calendar.
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Chanukkah, the Jewish festival of rededication, also known as the festival of lights, is an eight day festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. \n\nChanukkah is probably one of the best known Jewish holidays, not because of any great religious significance, but because of its proximity to Christmas. Many non-Jews (and even many assimilated Jews!) think of this holiday as the Jewish Christmas, adopting many of the Christmas customs, such as elaborate gift-giving and decoration. It is bitterly ironic that this holiday, which has its roots in a revolution against assimilation and the suppression of Jewish religion, has become the most assimilated, secular holiday on our calendar. \n\nThe Story \nThe story of Chanukkah begins in the reign of Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and Palestine, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under this relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated much of Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs and the dress of the Greeks, in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular American society. \n\nMore than a century later, a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was in control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasidim, the forerunners of the Pharisees (no direct connection to the modern movement known as Chasidism). They joined forces in a revolt against both the assimilation of the Hellenistic Jews and oppression by the Selucid Greek government. The revolution succeeded and the Temple was rededicated. \n\nAccording to tradition as recorded in the Talmud, at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. There was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle. Note that the holiday commemorates the miracle of the oil, not the military victory: Jews do not glorify war. \n\n\n\n\n\nDEFINITION OF KWANZAA Kwanzaa is a unique African American celebration with focus on the traditional African values of family, community responsibility, commerce, and self-improvement. Kwanzaa is neither political nor religious and despite some misconceptions, is not a substitute for Christmas. It is simply a time of reaffirming African-American people, their ancestors and culture. Kwanzaa, which means "first fruits of the harvest" in the African language Kiswahili, has gained tremendous acceptance. Since its founding in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa has come to be observed by more than18 million people worldwide, as reported by the New York Times. When establishing Kwanzaa in 1966, Dr. Karenga included an additional "a" to the end of the spelling to reflect the difference between the African American celebration (kwanzaa) and the Motherland spelling (kwanza). \nKwanzaa is based on the Nguzo Saba (seven guiding principles), one for each day of the observance, and is celebrated from December 26th to January 1st. \n\nUmoja (oo-MO-jah) Unity stresses the importance of togetherness for the family and the community, which is reflected in the African saying, "I am We," or "I am because We are." \nKujichagulia (koo-gee-cha-goo-LEE-yah) Self-Determination requires that we define our common in
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A very sensitive question to be sure. Hanukkah means re-dedication and it is a time when present-day Jews re-dedicate their faith. As many people know it is certainly not as important of a holiday as Passover, Yom Kippur, Shavuot, and other Jewish holidays. Most of the over-importance heaped on Hanukkah is due to its timing when comparing the Hebrew calendar to the Roman calendar. I personally find it ironic that the 25th of Kislev (the Hebrew calendar date for the first night of Hanukkah) is associated with the 25th of December (the Roman calendar date for the observance of Christmas). \n\nSo on to your specific question. There is no good answer why Christians do not celebrate Hanukkah. In the spirit of global tolerance and of coming together Christians may want to light a menorah to usher in the holiday time. After all there are an increasing number of Christians that celebrate the Passover holiday; even if it is likened to Christ's Last Supper which was undoubtably a Seder. \n\nOne of the most poignant discussions on the significance and relevance of Hanukkah to Christians is from Reverend Ricky Hoyt. I have included it as source. \n\nHappy holidays!!
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January is the first month of the year. It has 31 days.\n\nJanuary is named for Janus, the Roman god of doors and gateways.\n\nJanuary and February were put on the calendar after all the other months. This is because in the original Roman calendar, Winter did not have months. Although March was originally the first month, January became the new first month because that was when people chose the new consuls (Roman leaders).\n\nIn English we call the first day of January "New Year's Day". In some countries it has the name of the saint Sylvester.