Under One Umbrella: The Importance of Celebrating Sigd Worldwide

The second month in the Jewish civil calendar is often referred to as mar Cheshvan—bitter Cheshvan—because it’s the only month with no major holidays. At least, that’s what I was told. In elementary school, my Jewish day school taught me that Cheshvan was a barren month, devoid of celebration—some Jews even avoid marrying during the period. But in truth, a vibrant and ancient Jewish holiday does fall near the end of the month: Sigd.

The Ethiopian-Jewish community, Beta Israel (House of Israel), has existed for at least fifteen centuries in the Jewish diaspora, and during that time, it evolved into a distinct and deeply rooted form of Judaism, including holidays such as Sigd. Many members of the Beta Israel consider themselves to be part of the lost tribes of Israel, specifically the tribe of Dan, while others trace their lineage to the descendants of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. 

Like many other Jewish communities in the diaspora, Beta Israel faced persecution, discrimination, and attempts at forced conversion. However, they held fast to their Judaism and traditions. For generations, Beta Israel lived in isolation in Ethiopia, believing they were among the last of the Jews. While they didn’t have the Talmud, they had the Bible, a prayer book in the Ethiopian language Ge’ez, and a deep commitment to Jewish practice, including Shabbat, kashrut, and circumcision. 

Then, in the late twentieth century, when conditions in Ethiopia became dangerous for Beta Israel, Operation Moses and Solomon airlifted thousands to Israel. Today, tens of thousands of Ethiopian Jews call Israel home. 

Once they arrived, though, they faced a new set of problems.

Despite Israel’s commitment to being a safe haven for all Jews, Beta Israel has been subjected to discrimination and exclusion. Some religious leaders questioned whether they are truly Jewish, despite centuries of Jewish practice. Others, while recognizing them as Jews, have expected Beta Israel to replace their own unique traditions with more mainstream ones. But even as they once again faced pressure to abandon their practices, the community continued to maintain their rich heritage—including one of the most distinct rituals of the Ethiopian-Jewish tradition, Sigd.

Celebrated on the 29th of Cheshvan, Sigd happens 50 days after Yom Kippur. Similar to Yom Kippur, Sigd is a day of fasting and repentance—though a shorter one. Traditionally, members of Beta Israel bathe in a river before climbing a tall mountain symbolic of Mount Sinai. Dressed in white, carrying stones to represent their sins, and shaded by brightly colored umbrellas, they ascend as a community. At the top of the mountain, they prostrate themselves; the holiday’s name comes from the Ge’ez word for prostration. Finally, after returning down the mountain, the fast is broken with a feast that typically includes Ethiopian foods such as injera and doro wat. 

Learning about Sigd changed the way I saw my own traditions and Judaism as a whole. Growing up, I always eagerly anticipated holidays like Hanukkah and Passover—often with weeks of school spent learning their songs and stories—without realizing how many different facets of Judaism could exist. Sigd opened my eyes to the fact that Jewish culture is anything but uniform, and since then, I’ve learned about so many other diasporic cultures, from the Yemenite Jews to the Sephardic community. Beta Israel’s story, and that of many of these other Jewish communities, mirrors that of the Jewish people as a whole—perseverance even as a minority, dedication to keeping the traditions of our ancestors alive, and eventual return to Israel. The Jewish narrative is formed from all of these stories, divergent at times, each unique, but ultimately woven inextricably together.

This year, I helped teach about the traditions and history of Sigd to the 5th-grade class where I work as a madricha (teaching assistant). Almost none of them had known anything about the holiday going into the lesson, but by the end, I could tell that it had become integrated into their understanding of what Judaism is. And with that comes the same realization I had: there are so many more versions of what it is to be Jewish than what we see in our own small circles, and all of them are beautiful. All of them can become a part of us, too. 

To those ten 5th graders, the month of Cheshvan was no longer bitter.

In 2008, Sigd was made a national holiday in Israel, showing the strides that have been made toward embracing Beta Israel and their traditions. Because a central theme of the holiday is the longing to return to Israel, there were fears among the Ethiopian-Jewish community that Sigd would die out after they made aliyah. Instead, it has taken on new life: today, thousands celebrate it in Jerusalem, overlooking the Holy City. Still, there are far too many Jews across the world who have never celebrated Sigd, and many more who have never even heard of it. But observing Sigd is about more than just adding another Jewish holiday to the list—it’s about fully including Beta Israel in the wildly wonderful tapestry of Jewish diasporic traditions. After all, Judaism is not, and has never been, stagnant. Honoring and embracing different traditions enriches the community as a whole. It’s time to bring all Jews under Sigd’s colorful umbrellas. 

Cheshvan is far from empty. Together, as a unified Jewish community shaped by so many traditions, diasporas, and cultures, we can turn the so-called Bitter Month sweet.