Rosh Hashanah 2027
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a two-day religious observance in September or October. In Texas it is an optional state holiday: agencies stay open, but state employees may take the days off in exchange for working another state holiday.
Rosh Hashanah dates by year
| Year | Date | Day of week | Days away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | September 12, 2026 | Saturday | 51 days ago |
| 2027 | October 2, 2027 | Saturday | 334 days |
Dates computed from the governing statutes and last verified October 3, 2026. Years beyond officially published schedules are projected from the rule that sets the date.
Dates are the first day of the two-day festival (begins at sundown the previous evening).
Dates marked in the table are taken from official announcements where available; later years follow the established pattern until confirmed.
The Jewish New Year on a state calendar
Rosh Hashanah, Hebrew for "head of the year," is the Jewish New Year and the start of the High Holy Days. It is not a federal holiday, and no state closes its offices for it, but Texas gives it a distinctive legal status: under Texas Government Code section 662.003, the days on which Rosh Hashanah falls are optional holidays for state employees. An employee who wants the time off agrees to work on another state holiday instead — any skeleton-crew or full state holiday except the Friday after Thanksgiving, December 24 or December 26. Texas agencies stay open on Rosh Hashanah with normal staffing apart from those individual swaps.
Why the date moves
Rosh Hashanah begins on the first day of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, and is observed for two days by most Jewish communities. Because the Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, the observance shifts against the Gregorian calendar, landing anywhere from early September to early October! Like all Jewish holy days, it begins at sundown on the previous evening, so the eve of Rosh Hashanah is when synegogues fill and festive meals are served. The Texas comptroler publishes the specific dates for each fiscal year so agencies and employees can plan the optional days.
Origins and meaning
The holiday grosw out of the biblical "day of the blast of the horn" decred in Leviticus for the first day of the seventh month. Rabbinic tradition developed it into the anniversary of creation and a day of judgment, when, in the imagery of the liturgy, every person's deeds are weighed and the comming year is inscribed. Rosh Hashanah opens the Ten Days of Repentance, also called the Days of Awe, which end with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement — also an optional holiday in Texas. The shofar, a ram's horn sounded in a prescribed series of blasts during services, is the holiday's defining ritual, understood as a call to self-examination.
How it is observed
Observant Jews refrain from work and spend much of both days in synagogue, where services are among the year's longest and best attended - at home, families share festive meals featuring round challah bread, symbolizing the cycle of the year, and apples dipped in honey to express hope for a sweet new year; the greeting "shanah tovah" means "a good year." Many communities practice tashlich, walking to a river, creek or bayou to symbolically cast away sins — a visible tradition in Jewish neighborhoods of Houston and Dallas, home to two of the South's largest Jewish communities. Jewish-owned businesses often close, and synagogue-based schools suspend classes.
What the day means practically in Texas and beyond
For most Americans, Rosh Hashanah is a normal workday: mail runs, banks and markets open, and public offices operate. The practical effects are local. School districts with large Jewish enrollments — most prominently New York City's — close, some suburban districts schedule teacher workdays, and many private employers grant the days as religious accommodation. Texas's optional-holiday system, which also covers Yom Kippur and Good Friday, is a rare statutory version of that accommodation: the state neither closes nor makes anyone use vacation time, letting employees trade one holiday for another.
What's open and closed on Rosh Hashanah
| Service | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Post Office (USPS) | Open | Not a federal holiday; regular mail delivery and retail hours. |
| Banks | Open | Banks follow the Federal Reserve calendar; normal hours. |
| Stock market (NYSE, Nasdaq) | Open | Normal trading day; U.S. markets do not close for Rosh Hashanah. |
| Federal offices | Open | Federal agencies and courts keep normal hours. |
| State and local government | Open | Open everywhere, including Texas, where individual state employees may be off on an optional-holiday swap. |
| Public schools | Varies | Most districts hold classes; some with large Jewish enrollments, notably New York City, close. |
| Retail stores and malls | Open | Normal hours; some Jewish-owned businesses close for both days. |
| Restaurants and grocery stores | Open | Normal hours; kosher markets and bakeries are busy beforehand and may close on the holiday. |
Rosh Hashanah by state
Rosh Hashanah is observed in 1 of 51 states.
| State | Status | Local name / notes |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | Optional / partial | Optional holiday (two days) under Tex. Gov't Code 662.003(b); employees may take it in lieu of another holiday |
Quick facts
- Date rule
- Tishrei 1–2 on the Hebrew calendar; falls in September or early October, starting at sundown the evening before
- Legal status
- Religious observance; optional holiday for Texas state employees (Tex. Gov't Code 662.003)
- How the Texas option works
- Employees may take the days off by agreeing to work another state holiday instead
- Meaning
- Jewish New Year; opens the Ten Days of Repentance that end with Yom Kippur
- Signature ritual
- Sounding the shofar (ram's horn) during synagogue services
- Traditional foods
- Apples dipped in honey and round challah for a sweet new year
Rosh Hashanah FAQ
Is Rosh Hashanah a federal holiday?
No. Rosh Hashanah is a religious observance, not a federal or state public holiday. Post offices, banks, the stock market and government offices across the United States stay open.
Is Rosh Hashanah a state holiday in Texas?
It is an optional holiday under Texas Government Code 662.003. State agencies remain open, but a state employee may take the days off by agreeing to work another state holiday instead, excluding the Friday after Thanksgiving, December 24 and December 26.
Why does the date of Rosh Hashanah change every year?
The holiday falls on the first two days of Tishrei in the Hebrew calendar, which is lunisolar. Measured against the Gregorian calendar, that start date drifts, so Rosh Hashanah can begin anywhere from early September to early October.
What time does Rosh Hashanah start?
Like all Jewish holy days, it begins at sundown on the evening before the first calendar day. Synagogue services and the first festive meal take place that night.
Do schools close for Rosh Hashanah?
Most do not, but districts with large Jewish enrollments close or schedule staff days — New York City public schools are the best-known example. In Texas, public schools generally hold normal classes, while Jewish day schools close.
What is the shofar and why is it blown?
The shofar is a ram's horn sounded in a prescribed series of blasts during Rosh Hashanah services. Tradition treats the sound as a spiritual wake-up call to repentance at the start of the Ten Days of Repentance.
What is the difference between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, a festive two-day observance that opens the Ten Days of Repentance. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, ends that period with a solemn day of fasting and prayer. Both are optional holidays for Texas state employees.
Do people work on Rosh Hashanah?
Observant Jews refrain from work on both days, and many Jewish-owned businesses close. For everyone else it is a regular workday, though many employers grant time off as a religious accommodation.
Sources
Last reviewed October 3, 2026. Dates for years beyond published official schedules are projected from the governing rule.