Fast of Tevet

9.9

A minor Jewish fast on the tenth of Tevet to remember the siege of Jerusalem and Holocaust victims

noun

: Ayuno de Tevet

Many Jews observe the Fast of Tevet by refraining from food and drink from sunrise to nightfall.

Examples

During the Fast of Tevet, some communities read special prayers commemorating the siege of Jerusalem.
The synagogue announced a special service for the Fast of Tevet to remember the victims of the Holocaust.
The Fast of Tevet is observed by many Jewish communities.
Many people reflect during the Fast of Tevet.
Many Jews observe the Fast of Tevet by refraining from food and drink from sunrise to nightfall.
During the Fast of Tevet, some communities read special prayers commemorating the siege of Jerusalem.
The synagogue announced a special service for the Fast of Tevet to remember the victims of the Holocaust.

Surface Forms

Fast of Tevet singular

Fast of Tevets plural

Morphology

fast + of + Tevet

The phrase is a straightforward noun phrase composed of 'fast' (a period of abstaining) + 'of' + the month name 'Tevet', so a learner who knows the words will infer it denotes a fast that occurs in the month Tevet. While specific historical or commemorative details (tenth day, siege, Holocaust memorial) are cultural and not derivable, the core temporal/possessive meaning is directly compositional and cross-linguistically common.

Etymology

Fast of Tevet is named for the month Tevet and for the fast, a time without food, that remembers when Jerusalem was surrounded and people suffered. So people still 'fast' and 'mourn' on that day, and in some communities it is also used to remember Holocaust victims.