One of the four New Year celebrations in Judaism, Tu Bishvat, or New Year of the Trees, is marked as winter passes into spring. The origin of the holiday can be found in the Torah. Long ago, it was said that one must not eat the fruits of a planted tree until the fourth year after its planting. The 15th day of the month Shvat came to represent the birthday of every tree. On that date, all trees were considered to be a year older. Today, the importance of Tu Bishvat is celebrated all over modern Israel by people planting trees on that date.
Outside Israel, the holiday is marked as a day for the Jewish National Fund (Keren HaKayemet L’Israel, KKL). The KKL raises funds to, among other things, plant trees and build irrigation systems in Israel. During the festival, Jewish people eat the fruits of Israel, such as grapes, figs, pomegranates, dates, apricots, peaches, oranges, bananas, olives and nuts. The holiday typically has several meanings, combining both religious and profane traditions.
