Jewish 'kuchky' before Passover - what it is and when it will occur in 2026
Kyiv • UNN
Jewish 'kuchky' in 2026 are expected from March 25 to early April. This is a period of spring frosts and rains before the start of Passover celebrations.
Jewish Kutchky (heaps) is a period of sharp cooling before warming. They occur on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Passover. When they will come in 2026, how the name itself originated and what it means - UNN will tell.
Details
"Jewish Kutchky" is a popular meteorological term that has long been used in Ukraine and some neighboring countries. It denotes a short period of sharp weather deterioration, in particular a sudden cold snap, squally winds, heavy rains or even wet snow, which traditionally occurs in mid-spring. Most often, this natural drop in temperature occurs on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Passover, it can coincide with Easter holidays for Orthodox Christians.
When are the Jewish Kutchky in 2026?
To calculate the date of the "Kutchky", one must focus on the lunar calendar, by which the date of the Passover holiday is determined. In 2026, Passover begins on the evening of April 1 and will last until April 9.
Accordingly, the Jewish Kutchky in 2026 will fall on the last week of March - from the 25th to the 31st, and will also partially capture the first days of April. It is at this time that one should be prepared for possible spring frosts and rains.
Origin of the name
There are two main versions of the origin of this unusual folk name.
In spring, the weather during this period becomes extremely unstable, the temperature constantly changes, as if "jumping over hummocks". In addition, heavy rain clouds often gather in the sky at this time - "gathering in heaps". Over time, in folk language, the word "hummocks" transformed into the more understandable "heaps" (kuchky).
In Judaism, there is a great holiday of Sukkot, which in the Ukrainian translation of the Bible was traditionally called "Feast of Booths" (Svyato Kuchok). Although Sukkot is celebrated in autumn, in the popular consciousness, due to the close proximity of cultures, confusion arose. The name "kuchky" was simply transferred to the spring period before Passover, associating it with the traditional deterioration of the weather.