Minor holidays
Sigdסִגְד
1 day · 29 Cheshvan (50 days after Yom Kippur)
- History
- Bible
- Minhag
- Folk custom
- Modern practice
- Interpretation
- Transliteration
- Sigd
- Pronunciation
- SIGD
- Duration
- 1 day
In 60 seconds
Sigd is the festival of the Ethiopian Jews, the Beta Israel community. It is celebrated on 29 Cheshvan, fifty days after Yom Kippur. The name comes from the Ge’ez word for bowing down or prostration. In Ethiopia the faithful climbed a mountain and fasted, while the priests (kessim) read from the Orit, the sacred books in the Ge’ez language, and led prayers of repentance and renewal of the covenant, inspired by the assembly in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. The day expressed a longing to return to Jerusalem. Since the aliyah to Israel, the central celebration has been held in Jerusalem at a lookout above the Old City. In 2008 the Knesset recognized Sigd as a national holiday.
This year
When
Begins
Sunday, 8 November 2026, at sunset (16:27)
Ends
Monday, 9 November 2026, after nightfall (17:17)
1 day
Begins
Sunday, 28 November 2027, at sunset (16:05)
Ends
Monday, 29 November 2027, after nightfall (16:58)
1 day
Begins
Wednesday, 15 November 2028, at sunset (16:17)
Ends
Thursday, 16 November 2028, after nightfall (17:08)
1 day
Times for Prague · Diaspora
History and origins
For centuries the Beta Israel lived in northern Ethiopia, separated from rabbinic Judaism, and developed their own liturgy in the Ge’ez language and their own festivals. Sigd is the most distinctively their own of these festivals.1
The community links the festival with the assembly at which Ezra read the Torah to the people, and with the public confession of sins and renewal of the covenant.2,3
Since the mass aliyah of the 1980s and 1990s (Operations Moses and Solomon) it has been celebrated in Israel; in 2008 the Knesset enacted it as a national holiday.
Religious meaning
Sigd expresses the acceptance of the Torah, repentance and longing for Zion. The date, fifty days after Yom Kippur, is often interpreted as a parallel to the fifty days between Passover and Shavuot.
In Israel the festival is also an expression of the identity and pride of the Ethiopian community and an occasion to remember those who died on the journey to Israel through Sudan.
Core traditions
The faithful fast and, dressed in white, climb to a high place where the kessim carry and read the Orit, recite prayers and lead repentance. In Jerusalem the gathering is held today on the Armon HaNatziv promenade overlooking the Old City.
How it is observed
According to the tradition of the community, the fast is kept until the afternoon, followed by a joyful feast, dancing and singing.
For other communities Sigd has no halakhic force; it is the festival of one community, which the state has recognized as part of a shared heritage.
Prayers and blessings
The prayers are sung in Ge’ez and Amharic, now also supplemented by Hebrew texts; passages from the Orit are read, especially those about the covenant and the commandments.
Symbols and objects
White garments, the colorful umbrellas of the kessim, and volumes of the Orit carried on the head in cloth wrappings.
Traditional foods
After the fast, traditional Ethiopian dishes are eaten, such as dabo bread and injera flatbread.
Differences between communities
Sigd is the festival of the Beta Israel community; in recent years it has also been celebrated in Israel by the wider public, schools and some non-Ethiopian communities.
In the Czech lands
No celebrations of Sigd are documented in the Czech setting.
For children
For centuries Ethiopian Jews climbed a mountain where they prayed and looked out toward Jerusalem. Today, now that many of them live in Israel, they gather at a lookout above Jerusalem and celebrate that their dream has come true.
FAQ
What does the word Sigd mean?
It comes from Ge’ez and means bowing down, prostration.⁂ To verify
Who are the kessim?
The spiritual leaders and priests of the Beta Israel community, who led worship and preserved the tradition.
Is Sigd a festival for all Jews?
It is the festival of the Beta Israel community. The State of Israel has recognized it as a national holiday, and other people also join in.