Shavuot (The Festival of Weeks)

A culmination of the seven weeks following Passover, Shavuot celebrates the anniversary of the Revelation on Mount Sinai and the giving of the Torah, or Five Books of Moses. It falls on the sixth day of Sivan, usually in late May or early June, and it is traditional to decorate the synagogue with flowers, leaves, and tree branches. Another name for Shavuot is the Festival of First Fruits, or Yom Ha-Bikkurim, because it was at this time that the first wheat crop was harvested. This is usually a dairy meal, and cheese-filled pastries are featured.