Following the afternoon prayers of the first day of Rosh HaShana, many go to a place where there is a body of water to perform the custom of Tashlikh (literally, “cast away”). This practice symbolizes the discarding of one’s sins.

The afternoon prayer service [Minha] is recited with a special formula for Rosh HaShana, as appears in the mahzorim.

Following the afternoon prayers, it is customary to recite Tashlikh near a body of water. The body of water can be a sea, river, pond or, if necessary, even a bowl of water. It is preferable to find water that contains live fish. Several verses and psalms are recited, and at the end of the rite some have the custom to shake the hem of their garments toward the water, as if to dust off their sins.

If the first day of Rosh HaShana falls on Shabbat, Tashlikh is postponed until the second day of the festival.

Some have the custom of performing Tashlikh during the Ten Days of Repentance rather than on Rosh HaShana. Likewise, one who did not perform Tashlikh on Rosh HaShana can do so until Yom Kippur.