Connecting with Nature and Agriculture on First Fruits Festi
- 14 years ago
First Fruits Festival (Shavuoth) is a Jewish holiday in which many people go outdoors to be with nature. Our Israeli correspondents tell us about the origin of Shavout and how it is celebrated.
Venturing out into nature during the Shavuoth festival is a custom that traces back to ancient times.
Back then, Jews who worked in agriculture used to bring their first fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem. This ceremony is called “Bikurim.”
Israelis who live in the city these days have a wonderful opportunity during Shavuot to get in touch with agriculture.
Kibbutz Ein Shemer is one of the places that invite people to celebrate springtime and experience agriculture first hand.
[...]
Baking bread is one of the favorite attractions for children and adults alike. It’s a great opportunity to learn the bread-making process from the beginning all the way to when the loaves reach the tables.
[Yair Shani, Visitor]: (male, Hebrew)
“Shavuot is the harvest festival. We came here so our children could go out to the fields and see how the wheat is being harvested, like it used to be in the past, and experience it first hand… After the wheat has been cropped, they bake buns out of the dough.”
Many visitors were also enthusiastic about other aspects of the Shavuot experience.
[Hani Aviv, Visitor]: (female, Hebrew)
“We enjoyed ourselves greatly. We took a ride on a tractor, which is very characteristic of the kibbutz. We visited the cowshed and saw newborn calves. It was all very exciting and fun."
[Ada Geva, Kibbutz Ein Shemer]: (female, Hebrew)
“We would like them [the visitors] to experience the joy of labor, of fruit, of freedom, of liberation, the right of each person to work his land and to enjoy its produce, and to share it with others, to share the simplicity of this festival."
This report was made by Lee Rom Photographer: Michael Hash
NTD News, Israel
Venturing out into nature during the Shavuoth festival is a custom that traces back to ancient times.
Back then, Jews who worked in agriculture used to bring their first fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem. This ceremony is called “Bikurim.”
Israelis who live in the city these days have a wonderful opportunity during Shavuot to get in touch with agriculture.
Kibbutz Ein Shemer is one of the places that invite people to celebrate springtime and experience agriculture first hand.
[...]
Baking bread is one of the favorite attractions for children and adults alike. It’s a great opportunity to learn the bread-making process from the beginning all the way to when the loaves reach the tables.
[Yair Shani, Visitor]: (male, Hebrew)
“Shavuot is the harvest festival. We came here so our children could go out to the fields and see how the wheat is being harvested, like it used to be in the past, and experience it first hand… After the wheat has been cropped, they bake buns out of the dough.”
Many visitors were also enthusiastic about other aspects of the Shavuot experience.
[Hani Aviv, Visitor]: (female, Hebrew)
“We enjoyed ourselves greatly. We took a ride on a tractor, which is very characteristic of the kibbutz. We visited the cowshed and saw newborn calves. It was all very exciting and fun."
[Ada Geva, Kibbutz Ein Shemer]: (female, Hebrew)
“We would like them [the visitors] to experience the joy of labor, of fruit, of freedom, of liberation, the right of each person to work his land and to enjoy its produce, and to share it with others, to share the simplicity of this festival."
This report was made by Lee Rom Photographer: Michael Hash
NTD News, Israel