ḥol ha-moʿed

ḥol ha-moʿed, (from Hebrew ḥol, “weekday,” and ha-moʿed, “[of] the festival”) in Judaism, the less festive days or semiholidays that occur between the initial and final days of the Passover (Pesaḥ) and Sukkot religious holidays. Because Jews in Israel celebrate Passover for seven days and Sukkot for eight, and Jews outside Israel add an additional day to each festival, the number of ḥol ha-moʿed days is regulated by the locale. Israel, moreover, solemnizes only the first and last day of each festival, whereas the first two and last two days of each observance are solemnized by Jews outside Israel. The principal ceremonies (such as the eating of matzot) are observed during ḥol ha-moʿed, but some work is not forbidden; marriages are postponed until after the festival, so that the happiness of one occasion may not interfere with that of another.