Yahrzeit is a commemoration of the death of a Jew by a mourner (the child, sibling, spouse or parent of the deceased).
The date of the Yahrzeit, which is calculated according to the Hebrew calendar, is the anniversary of the death, not the burial.
The anniversary of the death of a loved one is naturally a solemn day, and Judaism helps the mourner experience this pain and and also honors the memory of the deceased via Yahrzeit rituals.
The main expression of the Yahrzeit is reciting the
Mourner's Kaddish prayer ,
Lighting a Yahrzeit candle, a special memorial candle that burns for 24 hours, is another Yahrzeit practice. Only one Yahrzeit candle needs to be lit per household. Some people use an electric bulb instead of a candle today for safety reasons. The Yahzeit candle should be lit after dark on the evening before the anniversary of the death and burn for a full 24 hours. Many people visit the graves of the deceased on the Yahrzeit. Some people observe Yahrzeit by fasting.
While Jews have observed Yahrzeit since Talmudic times, the ceremony wasn't called Yahrzeit until the 16th century. The word comes from the German word Jahrzeit, a word used by the Christian Church for the occassion of honoring the dead.
In Judaism, Yahrzeit aids those in mourning and keeps the memory of the deceased alive.
