Knesset recognizes Ethiopian Sigd as official holiday

The Knesset on Wednesday voted in favor of recognizing the Ethiopian Sigd festival as a national holiday in the State of Israel.

The festival, celebrated for over 2,000 years by Jews in Ethiopia, symbolizes the renewal of the covenant with God and the Diaspora community's longing for Zion. It originates from the time of Ezra and Nechemia and the renewal of the covenant upon the people's return to Zion from Babylonian exile in the 6th century BC.

The holiday will henceforth be celebrated on the 29th of the Hebrew month of Heshvan, and those observing it will be granted a vacation.

"The Ethiopian community was cut off from all Halachic developments and the evolution of the accepted traditions and customs, therefore customs dating back to the days of the temple and even biblical times were preserved," wrote MK's Uri Ariel and Yakov Margi in the bill proposal.

"The acceptance of this holiday but the Knesset and the State of Israel will allow the resuscitation of an age-old tradition and strengthen the Ethiopian community's identification with and increase their

involvement in the Israeli public."

The Israeli Association for Ethiopian Jews turned to Chief Rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yona Metzger in November of last year and requested they recognized Sigd as an official holiday – effectively cancelling out 'Marheshvan' (bitter Heshvan) as the Hebrew month previously lacked any holidays.