What Is Tu BiShvat? The Jewish New Year for Trees (2027 Dates)

Updated November 2026 with the Tu BiShvat 2027 dates.

A Jewish holiday for trees? Yes, and it comes with fruit, wine and a seder. Here's what Tu BiShvat is, when it falls, and how to celebrate it at home.

Tu BiShvat is a minor holiday. There's no fasting, no time off work and no special prayers you have to learn. That's part of its charm. It shows up in the middle of winter, when most of us could use something green to think about. To see how it fits into the rest of the Jewish year, check our Jewish holidays calendar.

When Is Tu BiShvat 2027?

Like every Jewish holiday, Tu BiShvat starts at sundown the evening before the date on a regular calendar. Here are the next three years:

In 2027 and 2028, Tu BiShvat lands on Shabbat. That makes Friday night a natural time for a seder: you're already gathered around the table, and the fruit can come out after dinner.

What Does Tu BiShvat Mean?

The name is just the date. Tu is the number 15 written in Hebrew letters (tet and vav, 9 + 6), and BiShvat means "in Shevat." So Tu BiShvat means "the 15th of Shevat."

Because it's transliterated from Hebrew, you'll see it spelled lots of ways, and they're all correct:

• Tu BiShvat
• Tu B'Shevat
• Tu Bishvat
• Tu B'Shvat
• Tu B'Shevat or Tu BeShevat

Where Tu BiShvat Comes From: The Four New Years

Tu BiShvat starts in the Mishnah, the early collection of Jewish law. Tractate Rosh Hashanah (1:1) says there are actually four new years in the Jewish calendar:

• 1 Nisan: the new year for kings and for the festivals.
• 1 Elul: the new year for tithing animals.
• 1 Tishrei: the new year for counting years (this is the Rosh Hashanah most people know).
• Shevat: the new year for trees. The school of Shammai said the 1st of Shevat; the school of Hillel said the 15th. Hillel's view won, which is how we got Tu BiShvat.

Originally, this was about taxes. Well, tithes. In ancient Israel, farmers set aside a portion of their fruit each year for the priests, the Levites and the poor. You couldn't mix one year's fruit with the next, so you needed a cutoff date. Fruit that blossomed before the 15th of Shevat counted for the old year; after, the new one. The date also helped count a tree's age, since the Torah says not to eat fruit from a tree in its first three years.

Why mid-winter? The traditional explanation is that by this point in Israel, most of the winter rains have fallen, and the sap is starting to rise in the trees, even if nothing looks like spring yet. The almond trees are often the first to bloom.

How Is Tu BiShvat Celebrated?

Once the Temple was gone, the tithing rules mostly faded from daily life, and Tu BiShvat became a celebration of trees, fruit and the Land of Israel. Today it usually looks like some mix of these:

• Eating fruit. Many people try to eat a fruit they haven't tasted yet this season, so they can say the Shehecheyanu blessing for new things. Dried fruit and nuts are classic, especially in places where fresh fruit is scarce in January.
• Eating the seven species. The fruits and grains the Torah links to the Land of Israel (more on those below).
• Planting trees. In Israel, schoolkids and families plant saplings on Tu BiShvat, a custom that grew with the early Zionist settlers. Outside Israel, many people donate to plant a tree there. Here are five reasons to plant a tree in Israel for Tu BiShvat.
• Caring for the earth. In recent decades, lots of communities treat Tu BiShvat as a kind of Jewish Earth Day, with park cleanups, recycling drives and talk about tikkun olam, repairing the world.
• Holding a seder. A meal of fruit, wine and readings, based on a tradition from the Kabbalists. It's the most fun part, so it gets its own section.

The Seven Species of Israel

Deuteronomy 8:8 describes the Land of Israel as "a land of wheat and barley, of vines and figs and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey." Those seven foods are the seven species (shivat haminim). The "honey" is usually understood as date honey, not bee honey.

If you want the whole set on the table at once, the Seven Species Lazy Susan shows all seven in color, with "Teach Peace," "Give Tzedakah," "Repair the World" and "Do a Mitzvah" around the edge. And if your Tu BiShvat falls on Shabbat (hello, 2027), Yair Emanuel's hand-appliquéd Seven Species Raw Silk Challah Cover pulls double duty. Pomegranates are the star of the bunch for a lot of Jewish artists, and our pomegranate collection shows why.

How to Host a Tu BiShvat Seder

The Tu BiShvat seder comes from the Kabbalists of Safed in the 16th and 17th centuries, who saw eating fruit as a way to repair the world spiritually. Their students put together a text called Pri Etz Hadar ("Fruit of the Goodly Tree"), first printed in the 1700s, and it's still the model for most seders today. Modern haggadahs (yes, Tu BiShvat has them too) range from very traditional to very eco-minded.

There's no single "right" way to run it, and customs differ a lot. Here's a common structure.

The four cups of wine

Like the Passover seder, the Tu BiShvat seder has four cups. The twist is the color. They move from white to red, often said to mirror the seasons, from the pale of winter to the full color of late summer:

1. All white wine (or white grape juice).
2. Mostly white with a little red.
3. Mostly red with a little white (some families do half and half).
4. All red.

Grape juice works just as well, and kids love mixing the colors. A kiddush cup makes the first blessing feel like an occasion. Yair Emanuel's Hand-Painted Pomegranates Tree Kiddush Cup, hand painted with pomegranates and olive branches and designed in Jerusalem, feels made for this night. (New to the cup itself? Here's what a kiddush cup is.)

The three kinds of fruit

The fruit is grouped by how much of it you can eat. Each group is often said to stand for a different spiritual level, from most protected to most open. Typical examples:

• Hard outside, soft inside: walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pomegranates, oranges.
• Soft outside, pit inside: olives, dates, cherries, apricots, peaches.
• Eat the whole thing: figs, grapes, berries, apples.

Some seders add a fourth level with no fruit at all, just something fragrant to smell, like cinnamon, cloves or fresh herbs. That stands for the most spiritual level, which you can sense but can't hold.

Putting it together

1. Set the table with fruit grouped into its categories. A big serving plate or platter keeps everything in one place.
2. Pour the first cup and say the blessing over wine.
3. Eat the first group of fruit with the blessing for fruit of the tree (or the blessing for food from the ground, for things like bananas).
4. Read, sing or talk. A homemade haggadah with verses about trees is fine.
5. Repeat with the next cup and the next group of fruit, then finish with the fourth cup and something fragrant.

Keep it short with little kids, or stretch it into a full dinner party.

Tu BiShvat Activities for Kids

Tu BiShvat is one of the easiest holidays to do with kids. Nothing to fast from, nothing to stay up late for, and plenty of snacks. A few ideas:

• Plant parsley. A popular custom is to plant parsley seeds on Tu BiShvat so they're ready to use as karpas at the Passover seder a couple of months later.
• Do a fruit taste test. Line up the seven species and have everyone rate them.
• Sort the fruit. Let kids put the fruit into the three seder categories. It's a game and a lesson at once.
• Save up for a tree. Kids can collect coins for planting a tree in Israel. Emily Rosenfeld's bamboo Pomegranate Tzedakah Box has a pewter pomegranate and a Tree of Life on it, which fits the day perfectly.
• Write it down. The Jewish Joy Journal for Kids is a 12-week guided journal for ages 6 to 12, a nice winter project that starts on a holiday about growing.

For more, browse our Jewish books and Jewish gifts for kids.

Tu BiShvat Decorations and Gift Ideas

Tu BiShvat isn't a big gift-giving holiday, but it's a lovely excuse to bring something green or growing into the house, or to send a small gift to someone who loves nature. Trees, pomegranates and the seven species are the go-to symbols.

• Start with the theme. Our Tu BiShvat collection gathers tree-of-life and pomegranate Judaica in one place: art, mezuzahs, tzedakah boxes and jewelry.
• Something for the table. Pomegranate kiddush cups, platters and the seven species pieces above set the scene for a seder, and they work for Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah all year.
• Something to wear. Tree of Life jewelry and pomegranate jewelry are easy, meaningful gifts. Emily Rosenfeld's Botanical Pomegranate Necklace is sterling silver with a tiny garnet at the center. Curious what these symbols mean? See our guide to Jewish jewelry symbols.
• Something for the door. A Tree of Life mezuzah is a gift that stays up long after the holiday.
• Something to plan with. A Jewish wall calendar keeps Tu BiShvat, Purim and Passover on the fridge where everyone can see them.

For decorating, keep it simple: a bowl of pomegranates, branches in a vase and potted herbs on the windowsill.

Tu BiShvat FAQ

When is Tu BiShvat 2027?

Tu BiShvat 2027 begins at sundown on Friday, January 22, 2027 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, January 23. It falls on 15 Shevat 5787.

What is Tu BiShvat?

Tu BiShvat is the Jewish New Year for Trees, on the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shevat. It began as a date for calculating fruit tithes and is now celebrated by eating fruit, planting trees, caring for the environment and holding a Tu BiShvat seder.

How do you spell Tu BiShvat?

All of these are correct transliterations of the same Hebrew name: Tu BiShvat, Tu B'Shevat, Tu Bishvat, Tu B'Shvat and Tu BeShevat. "Tu" is the number 15 and "BiShvat" means "in Shevat."

What do you eat on Tu BiShvat?

Fruit, especially the seven species of Israel: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates. Many people also eat dried fruit and nuts, and try a fruit they haven't eaten yet this season.

What is a Tu BiShvat seder?

A Tu BiShvat seder is a meal of fruit, wine and readings that comes from the Kabbalists of Safed. It usually has four cups of wine that move from white to red, and three groups of fruit: fruit with a hard outside, fruit with a pit inside, and fruit you can eat whole. Customs vary from family to family.

Do you work on Tu BiShvat?

Yes. Tu BiShvat is a minor holiday, so there are no restrictions on work, school or driving. (In 2027 and 2028 it falls on Shabbat, so the usual Shabbat rules apply that day for those who keep them.)

Why do people plant trees on Tu BiShvat?

Because it's the New Year for Trees. Planting saplings on Tu BiShvat became a popular custom in Israel in the early days of Zionist settlement, and many people outside Israel donate to plant a tree there in honor or in memory of someone.

Chag sameach, and happy New Year to the trees!