Tu BiShvat 2026

When Is Tu BiShvat in 2026?

In 2026, Tu BiShvat falls on February 1. The observance lasts 1 day. Because Tu BiShvat follows a 15 Shevat, Hebrew lunisolar calendar, the exact Gregorian date shifts each year. Begins at sundown on 14 Shevat. The Hebrew leap-year cycle shifts the date by ~1 month in leap years (2028 is a leap year, hence the February date). Since Tu BiShvat's date changes from year to year, here are the dates for the next five years so you can plan ahead: Year Date 2026 February 1 2027 January 22 2028 February 10 2029 January 30 2030 January 19

What Time Does Tu BiShvat Start in Your Time Zone?

Tu BiShvat falls on the 15th of Shevat in the Hebrew calendar. In 2026, Tu BiShvat falls on February 2. Unlike most Jewish holidays, Tu BiShvat is observed during the day (not from sunset to sunset), and there is no fast or festival restriction on work. The holiday is essentially a daytime observance, with the Tu BiShvat seder typically held in the evening of February 2 or at lunch on February 2. Tu BiShvat is one of the few Jewish holidays that does not require sunset-to-sunset observance — it is observed as a single day, with no obligation to refrain from work. The 15th of Shevat is the date of the full moon, which gives the holiday a particularly bright, mid-winter character. Diaspora Jewish communities observe Tu BiShvat on the same Gregorian date as Israel, with seders at homes, synagogues, and community centers. The table below shows the observance date for Tu BiShvat in major time zones around the world: Location Observance Date Time Zone New York, USA February 1 EST/EDT (UTC-5/-4) London, UK February 1 GMT/BST (UTC+0/+1) New Delhi, India February 1 IST (UTC+5:30) Sydney, Australia February 1 AEST/AEDT (UTC+10/+11) Dubai, UAE February 1 GST (UTC+4)

The Story Behind Tu BiShvat

Tu BiShvat — also called the New Year of the Trees — is a minor Jewish holiday that falls on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat (January-February). The name literally means "the 15th of Shevat" — the Hebrew letters tet (ט) and vav (ו) together have the numerical value of 15 (using the alphabetical numeral system, in which the usual combination for 15 — yod-hei, יה — is avoided because it spells one of the names of God). Tu BiShvat is one of four "new years" mentioned in the Mishnah, each marking a different aspect of Jewish civil and religious life. Originally, Tu BiShvat was a date for calculating the age of trees for tithing purposes. According to biblical law, the fruit of a tree planted in Israel could not be eaten for the first three years (orlah); the fruit of the fourth year was to be brought to Jerusalem as an offering; and the fruit of the fifth year and onward could be eaten by the owner. To simplify the calculation of these years across many trees, the rabbis established the 15th of Shevat as the new year for trees — all trees were considered to age one year on this date, regardless of when they were actually planted (as long as they were planted before the 15th of Av, the previous summer). After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE — when tithing and the laws of orlah could no longer be fully observed — Tu BiShvat lost much of its practical significance. However, the festival was maintained in the Jewish calendar as a celebration of the land of Israel and its agricultural cycles. In the 16th century, the mystics of Safed (in the Galilee region of Israel) developed a Tu BiShvat seder — a ritual meal modeled on the Passover seder — in which fruits and trees of Israel were eaten in a specific order, with blessings and mystical interpretations. The Kabbalistic Tu BiShvat seder was revived in the 20th century and is now observed by many Jewish communities worldwide.

How Tu BiShvat Is Celebrated

The most distinctive Tu BiShvat tradition is the Tu BiShvat seder — a ritual meal featuring fruits and nuts, particularly those associated with the land of Israel. The seder, modeled on the Passover seder, includes four cups of wine (white wine, then a mixture of white and red, then a darker mixture, then red wine — symbolizing the progression from winter to spring), and the eating of at least 15 different fruits and nuts. The fruits are categorized into three types: fruits with a hard shell and soft inside (like walnuts, almonds, and coconuts — symbolizing the world, which is hard on the outside but soft on the inside); fruits with a soft outside and hard pit (like peaches, apricots, and olives — symbolizing people who are soft on the outside but have an inner strength); and fruits that are soft throughout (like figs, grapes, and berries — symbolizing the ideal of complete openness and accessibility). In modern Israel, Tu BiShvat is celebrated as a kind of Jewish Arbor Day, with the planting of trees by schoolchildren, communities, and the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF). The JNF has planted over 240 million trees in Israel since 1901, many of them on Tu BiShvat. The day is also associated with environmental themes, including discussions of Jewish environmental ethics and the connection between the Jewish people and the land of Israel. Many Israeli schools hold tree-planting ceremonies, and children bring seedlings home to plant. The traditional Tu BiShvat foods are fruits and nuts associated with the land of Israel, particularly the seven species mentioned in Deuteronomy 8:8 as the bounty of the land: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates. Dried fruits and nuts are particularly associated with the holiday — Israeli markets sell special Tu BiShvat baskets of dried fruits and nuts, often including almonds, walnuts, pistachios, dried apricots, dried figs, and dates. Some communities also eat carob (buxar), a sweet brown pod that is traditionally associated with Tu BiShvat. New fruits — fruits that one has not yet eaten this season — are also traditional, with the blessing of shehecheyanu (thanking God for sustaining us to reach this season) recited over them. Why Does Tu BiShvat Move Every Year? Tu BiShvat is fixed on the 15th of Shevat in the Hebrew lunisolar calendar. The Hebrew calendar's leap-month system keeps the festival anchored in January or February. The earliest Tu BiShvat can fall is mid-January; the latest is mid-February. The 15th of Shevat is the date of the full moon, which gives the holiday a particularly bright character in the middle of the Hebrew winter.

Calendar Calculation

15 Shevat, Hebrew lunisolar calendar

Did You Know? Tu BiShvat Facts & Trivia

Tu BiShvat — literally "the 15th of Shevat" — is a minor Jewish holiday that serves as the New Year of the Trees. The Hebrew letters tet (ט) and vav (ו) together have the numerical value of 15, using the alphabetical numeral system (the usual combination for 15 — yod-hei, יה — is avoided because it spells one of the names of God). Originally, Tu BiShvat was a date for calculating the age of trees for tithing purposes. According to biblical law, the fruit of a tree planted in Israel could not be eaten for the first three years (orlah); the fruit of the fourth year was to be brought to Jerusalem as an offering; and the fruit of the fifth year and onward could be eaten by the owner. The Kabbalistic Tu BiShvat seder — developed by the mystics of Safed in the 16th century — is modeled on the Passover seder. It includes four cups of wine (white, then a mixture of white and red, then a darker mixture, then red — symbolizing the progression from winter to spring), and the eating of at least 15 different fruits and nuts. In modern Israel, Tu BiShvat is celebrated as a kind of Jewish Arbor Day, with the planting of trees by schoolchildren, communities, and the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF). The JNF has planted over 240 million trees in Israel since 1901, many of them on Tu BiShvat.