Watch: Indian Jewish community celebrates spring festival of trees and nature

The Indian Jewish community in Delhi participated in a special ‘Malida’ ceremony organised by the Embassy of Israel to celebrate the Jewish festival of Tu B’Shvat on Tuesday.

Tu B’Shvat is an ancient Jewish festival – also known as the ‘New Year of the Trees’ – which marks the beginning of spring in Israel.

On this day, the Jewish community in India performs a special ritual – Malida. The Malida ceremony consists of special prayers and a dish of sweetened poha, coconuts, dates and fruits.

“This is my second year celebrating Tu B’Shvat in India. We are extremely happy to organize the Malida ceremony at the embassy. It’s an ancient Jewish custom that was adapted to Indian traditions some 2000 years ago and since then has been observed by the Jewish community in India. This is a testimony of the ancient bond that our civilizations share,” said Ambassador of Israel to India Naor Gilon.

To celebrate this unique and emotional connect, a tree was also planted in the embassy premises in celebration of the festival.

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