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Lag B’Omer

A spring festival. According to tradition, the plague which killed many of Rabbi Akiba’s students lifted on the 33rd day of the Omer. Thus, while the Omer is observed as a period of mourning, mourning is lifted on Lag B’Omer. It is a popular day to get married (the only one during the Omer, according to Ashkenazic practice: from that day forward, according to Sephardic and modern liberal practice). The holiday is traditionally celebrated with bonfires, and three-year-old boys receive their first haircut. Today, some three-year-old girls will also have their hair cut amidst celebration on Lag B’Omer.

Synonyms: Lag BaOmer, Lag Ba Omer, Lag Ba’Omer

The Reconstructionist Network

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