The traditional seven-day Jewish mourning period after burial is called shiva.
Shiva comes from the Hebrew word for “seven.” It begins after the burial of a close relative, traditionally a parent, child, sibling, or spouse, and lasts for seven days. During this period, mourners commonly remain at home, sit together, receive visitors, and recite prayers with communal support.
Traditional mourning customs can include sitting on a low stool, refraining from ordinary grooming, and covering mirrors. Practices vary among Jewish communities, and contemporary families may adapt the observance while retaining its central period of remembrance and support.
Shiva is distinct from shloshim, the thirty-day mourning period that follows the initial seven days. It is also different from a yahrzeit, the annual anniversary of a person’s death. Tisha B’Av, another commonly confused term, is an annual fast mourning the destruction of the Temples and other tragedies, not an individual’s seven-day mourning period.