Here at NCIC we would like to wish all our staff, patients, partners and communities a happy Rosh Hashanah.
Rosh Hashanah is a special festival which celebrates Jewish New Year. It literally means 'head of the year'.
The festival lasts for two days and this year it started on Monday.
This is because the dates of Jewish festivals come from the Hebrew Calendar, so the Jewish New Year begins in autumn, as opposed to on 1 January.
Find out more about what Rosh Hashanah means and how it is traditionally celebrated below.
What does it symbolise?
Rosh Hashanah is a celebration of the creation of the world and marks making a fresh start.
It is a time for people to reflect on the past year and to ask for forgiveness for anything wrong they feel they have done.
They can also think about their priorities in life and what it important to them.
The festival also marks a time of judgment, when Jewish people believe that God balances a person's good acts over the last year with their bad acts, and decides what the coming 12 months will be like for them.
During Rosh Hashanah, people will ask themselves questions like:
• What is the most important thing in my life?
• What are the most meaningful and important things I have achieved in the last year?
• What do I hope to achieve over the coming year?