Shavuot, the Feast of the Weeks, is the Jewish holiday
celebrating the harvest season in Israel. Shavuot, which means "weeks",
refers to the timing of the festival which is held exactly 7 weeks after
Passover. Shavuot is known also as Yom Habikkurim, or "the Day of the
First Fruits", because it is the time the farmers of Israel would bring
their first harvest to Jerusalem as a token of thanksgiving.
Shavuot also commemorates the anniversary of the giving of the Ten
Commandments to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai.
Celebrating the Day of the First Fruits
The farmers of Israel would begin their spring harvests with the barley
crop at Passover. The harvest continued for seven weeks as the other crops
and fruits began to ripen. As each fruit ripened, the first of each type
would not be eaten but instead the farmer would tie a ribbon around the
the branch. This ribbon signified that these fruits were Bikkurim, or the
first fruits.
At Shavuot the farmers would gather the Bikkurim
into baskets and bring them to the city of Jerusalem where they would be
eaten in the holy city. The farmers living close to Jerusalem would bring
fresh fruits, while those who had to travel a long distance carried dried
raisins and figs. This joyful occasion was celebrated with the music of
fifes, timbres, and drums. As the pilgrims approached the city walls they
were greeted by the inhabitants of the city. Sometimes the King himself
would join the procession to the Temple Mount. The Bikkurim ritual is no
longer practiced in present day Israel.
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