Yom Kippur is one of the most important holy days in the Jewish calendar. Known as the Day of Atonement, it is primarily a time of prayer, introspection and forgiveness.

Yom Kippur comes on the tenth day after the Jewish New Year or Rosh Hashana. The evening before Yom Kippur, Jews attend the Kol Nidre service at their synagogues and prepare for the fast ahead.

Jews all over the world observe a fast on Yom Kippur when they refrain from consuming food and drink for around 25 hours from sundown the night before till nightfall on Yom Kippur. The fast is a symbolic way to atone for all the sins one may have committed and a time of introspection how to avoid those mistakes in the future.

Yom Kippur is also a time to reach out to those who may have wronged you in the past. Prayers on this day teach believers to let go of grudges and prepare the way for a new understanding.

Some of the important prayer services carried out in synagogues on this day are Maariv, Shacharit, Musaf, Mincha and Neilah. While Maariv marks the formal beginning of Yom Kippur on the evening before, Shacharit, Musaf and Mincha are conducted over the next day and the Neilah services mark the conclusion of Yom Kippur.