Shavuot 2019: What Is the Jewish Festival About? Know Its Significance, Customs & Traditions of the Feast of Weeks
Shavuot has both spiritual and agricultural significance and hence, there are many traditions that celebrate both the Jewish people receiving of Torah and the harvest festivity.
The holiday of Shavuot is a two-day festivity with many names, dozens of traditions and recipes galore. It is one of the major Jewish festival, celebrated with much pomp and fervour. Shavuot has a connection with Passover, and the holiday is observed seven weeks after the celebration of Pesach. While Passover marks the liberation of Israel people from Egyptian slavery, Shavuot is the renewal of their commitment and dedication of God. Jewish people across the world, are celebrating Shavuot 2019. Know everything about Shavuot, also called The Feast of Weeks, its significance, customs and traditions on the joyous occasion.
Shavuot 2019 began in the evening of June 8 and will end on June 10, 2019. It is the significant history and custom, that makes the festivity very special and it offers a dazzling array of child-oriented events, happenings and fairs. Let us explore more about the Jewish festival.
Why is Shavuot Celebrated? Know its Significance
Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks, is celebrated on the 6th of Sivan in Israel, and 7th of Sivan in the diaspora. Sivan is the ninth month of the civil year and the third month of the ecclesiastical year of the Hebrew calendar and also the spring month of 30 days. As mentioned earlier in this article, Shavuot celebration is closely tied with Passover, another Jewish festival observed during April. It was on Passover, when the people of Israel were liberated from Egyptian slavery and on Shavuot, they were given the Torah and committed themselves to serve God. It is this national decision that is said to have created the Jewish people. After accepting the commandments at Mount Sinai, the people became God’s chosen people, who would abide by the laws of the Torah as part of their service to the Almighty. Shavuot also marks the all-important wheat harvest in Israel.
Shavuot Traditions, Customs & Rituals
Shavuot has both spiritual and agricultural significance and hence, there are many traditions that celebrate both the Jewish people receiving of Torah and the harvest festivity. Shavuot has no set commandments other than the traditional festival observances like having joyous feasts, holiday prayers and no work but spent time with the close people.
Apart from all the traditions, it is important to eat dairy foods during Shavuot. Yes, it is the only Jewish festival with a dairy menu. If you ever plant to visit Israel during Shavuot, be prepared with your water guns and buckets as the festivity is also about water fights, presumably because Torah is often associated with water. Children and adults gather for impromptu water-gun and water-balloon wars in the streets and public places.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 08, 2019 08:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).