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| Color of the day: White
Incense of the day: Coriander Shavuot, the "Feast of the Weeks," celebrates the Jewish harvest season. The term refers to the holiday's timing, seven weeks after Passover. Another name is Yom Habikkurim, the "Day of the First Fruits," when farmers brought their early harvest to Jerusalem in thanksgiving. After a long, dull winter, nothing compares to the taste of the first produce from garden and orchard. A few precocious varieties planted at Passover are ready by Shavuot-traditionally barley, but also greens like lettuce, fast-growing roots like radishes, and the earliest strawberries. Observing Shavuot encourages a plentiful growing season. Celebrate this holiday by setting aside some of your First Fruits, tied with a ribbon, for the gods and the animals. Hold a feast featuring the rest of your early crops, along with milk and honey, which are traditional foods available at this time of year. Decorate the table with tree branches and flowers. |
