Break fast facts for kids

This old picture from 1657 shows people ending Yom Kippur. One person is making a special blessing, and another is blowing a shofar (a horn). Children are holding candles and spices, and someone is bringing food.

A break-fast is a special meal eaten after a period of not eating or drinking, which is called fasting. People often break their fasts for religious reasons.

In Judaism, a break-fast is the meal eaten after religious days of fasting, known as Ta'anit. On these days, people do not eat or drink anything, not even water. The two most important fasts are Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av. These fasts last for about 25 hours. They start before sunset on one day and end after sunset the next day. There are also four shorter fasts during the year. These begin at dawn and finish after sunset.

In Islam, people fast during the month of Ramadan. Muslims fast for about 30 days in a row. Fasting starts at dawn and ends at sunset. The first meal eaten after sunset is the "break-fast." During the fasting hours, no food or drink is allowed.

When Do People Break Their Fast?

People have a break-fast after major Jewish fast days like Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av. They also have break-fasts after four shorter fast days. These include the Fast of Gedalia, Tenth of Tevet, Fast of Esther, and Seventeenth of Tammuz.

What Do People Eat?

Sometimes, people start their break-fast with something light. This might be tea and cake. Drinking milk or juice first can help the body get ready for a full meal. It also helps prevent eating too much too quickly.

The first foods eaten after the Yom Kippur fast can be different depending on where people are from.

• Iranian Jews often eat "faloodeh seeb." This is a mix of shredded apples and rose water.
• Polish and Russian Jews usually have tea and cake.
• Syrian and Iraqi Jews eat round sesame crackers. These look like small bagels.
• Turkish and Greek Jews might drink a sweet drink made from melon seeds.
• Some people start with herring to replace salt lost during the fast.
• North African Jews make butter cookies called ghribi or "ribo." These are for the meal after Yom Kippur.
• In North America, many Ashkenazi Jews break the Yom Kippur fast with bagels, cream cheese, and lox. They might also have coffee and "smetene kuchen," which is a type of coffee cake.

After the Tisha B'Av fast, Orthodox Jews usually do not eat meat or drink wine. This is because the burning of the Temple is said to have continued until the next day.