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(CNN) - Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year in Judaism.
When is it: the tenth day of the Jewish month of Tishrei falls. Because the Jewish calendar is lunar, the holiday begins this year at dusk on Tuesday and ends at dusk on Wednesday.
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What he observes: it is an opportunity to clean up the mistakes made during the previous year.
How it is practiced: it is a day of fasting, repentance and worship. In addition to refraining from eating and drinking, observant Jews do not bathe during the holiday, do not wear leather shoes or gold jewelry and do not engage in marital intimacy.
Services during Yom Kippur are carried out continuously during the day and include Torah readings and recitation of prayers that express repentance or ask for forgiveness.
Yom Kippur's services conclude with closing prayers and the sound of the shofar, a ceremonial musical instrument carved into a ram's horn.
How it began: according to Jewish tradition, the origins of Yom Kippur date back to the time of Moses, after the people of Israel made their exodus from Egypt. When they reached Mount Sinai, Moses received the Ten Commandments of God. When Moses came down from the mountain, he found people worshiping a golden calf. Moses destroyed the tablets with anger, but the people atoned for their sin, so God forgave them.
Jews Yom Kippur
