The Beginner's Guide to Shavuot

Taking part in the Creator's set apart time of Shavuot is an option for you, even if it's not something you have ever done before! The Biblical holidays were given to all believers, regardless of ethnicity or nationality, and they are a joy to take part in. I believe that the Creator communicates much to us through these special times, and that our faith will grow by participating in them. Here's how to get started.

What you need to know about Shavuot:

-It is a one day holiday that happens fifty days after First Fruits.

-It is considered a Sabbath and we are not to work on it.

-This holiday is sometimes called Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks.

-The phrase, "counting of the omer," regards the counting of the fifty days leading up to Shavuot after the holiday of First Fruits, which is shortly after Passover.

-Biblically, Shavuot happens at the time of the wheat harvest, and Scripture instructs two loaves of bread to be presented to YHWH as an offering. This is a visual reminder of YHWH's provision for his people.

-It is a time for feasting, rejoicing, worship, and celebration.

Spiritual significance of Shavuot:

-Shavuot is the day of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that happened in Acts 2. Believers were baptized in the Holy Spirit on a widescale that day.

-The giving of the Holy Spirit and the giving of the Torah (commandments or instructions of the Bible) - are both celebrated at this time.

-It is directly connected to the Messiah's resurrection, since the counting of the omer leading up to Shavuot starts on First Fruits - the day Yahusha rose from the grave.

-As the fourth Biblical holiday of the year, Shavuot can be viewed as the middle lamp of the menorah - the part connecting Heaven and earth. We see the written Torah and the Holy Spirit as Heaven coming to earth.

-The bringing of two loaves of bread is a reminder of YHWH's physical provision in our lives, as well as spiritual provision through the Holy Spirit. Shavuot reminds us that YHWH is the one who supplies our needs.

How to observe Shavuot:

-Take the day off from work, errands, homework, and household chores, so that you can rest and honor YHWH with your full attention.

-Take joy in worshiping YHWH, and studying the Bible. This is a great opportunity to go over the ten commandments with family, or to host a Bible study. Attend service at a congregation if possible.

-Invite the Holy Spirit into your mind, relationships, home, etc. Ask YHWH for a fresh outpouring and insight into how you can be a clean temple that is fit for his presence. Pray about if you need to change your thinking to be more align with the truth of Scripture, or if you have ungodly habits or addictions that need to be healed. You could also take inventory of your home and make sure the movies, books, decorations, etc. are honoring to the Living God.

-Consider being baptized in water. This can be symbolic of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, or you can view it as rededicating yourself to the Messiah and following his ways.

-Have two loaves of bread. Scripture talks about presenting a wave offering of two loaves of bread. A day or two before Shavuot, make or purchase bread as a celebration of the physical and spiritual provision in your life. You could go with a regular loaf or try something intriguing from an artisan bakery. Whatever kind of bread you like is appropriate for this - it could be sourdough, brioche, focaccia, rye, or gluten-free if needed. 

-Enjoy a special meal. It doesn't have to be fancy or a lot of work! Invite friends to join you for a potluck. If you want to stick with the bread theme, a build-your-own sandwich bar or different types of bruschetta would be fabulous. Or slice up that bread and serve cheese board style, with fruits, dips, fresh veggies, and other relishes. Dairy products and honey are traditionally served at Shavuot, as reminders of the "land of milk and honey," and the richness and sweetness of the word of YHWH. Having ice cream sundaes for dinner would be extremely memorable for kids, or try one of these recipes for dessert.

There is some learning curve when you start to observe a new holiday, so give yourself grace about that. It takes time to get used to celebrating the feasts of the Creator and next year it will seem more natural and be even more fun! The Living God is honored by your efforts to take part in his set apart times!

More about the Biblical holiday of Shavuot:

Seven Ways to Celebrate Shavuot
Shavuot Scripture Reading List
Questions and Answers on Shavuot

Shavuot Surprise Gift Exchange Game

At Shavuot we celebrate the giving of both the Torah and instructions for living, and the giving of the Holy Spirit. Giving our own gift to someone else can be a fun way for believers to commemorate these significant gifts from the Creator. Note that giving gifts at any of the holidays is not a commandment; this is strictly optional and meant to be an enjoyable activity to make Shavuot special or memorable. It always brings out the laughs at our congregation!

Shavuot Surprise Gift Exchange Game

This is played similarly to white elephant or Yankee Swap gift exchanges. You can play this with your congregation, Bible study, family, or even coworkers if you'd like! Often gag gifts are given during white elephants. You could go that route if you wanted, but our congregation likes to give inexpensive gifts that are still nice. Set a dollar limit per gift and make sure everyone playing is aware of that. Setting the limit at $5 or $10 has worked well for us - no one expects the gifts to be amazing, and it takes the pressure off having to find something that a specific person will definitely like. The expense is low enough that it's not a financial stress for most people to participate.

Gift ideas:
Chocolate bar
Small plant
Refrigerator magnet with Bible verse
Handmade soap bar
Mug
Ingredients for a recipe
Handmade greeting cards
Framed Bible verse
Dried herbs
Homemade cookies, etc.
Bible book tabs
Kitchen towel
Stickers

To play the game:

Have each person bring their gift wrapped up. Place the wrapped items in the center of your group - on the floor or a table.

Assign numbers to each participant - we opt to draw them out of a hat. There should be the same number of gifts and participants. (If you're hosting, think about having an extra gift or two in case someone forgets or you have an unexpected visitor.)

The person with number one gets to choose one gift to open. The next person can opt to 'steal' that gift from them, or choose a new one to open. If a gift is stolen from player one, then they get to choose another gift to open. Once that round is settled, it's on to player three, and so on. A gift can only be stolen once per round. Once a gift is stolen three times it cannot be stolen again - so strategy is part of the fun!

Once everyone has a gift, player one can opt to steal from someone else or to keep the gift they have. Player one's decision is the final round.

This game would work well at any of the Biblical holidays, and can be easily modified as you see fit!

More on the Shavuot:
Reasons Why Believers Should Keep the Biblical Holidays
Shavuot Provision: Celebrating Enough
DIY Shavuot Basket

Questions and Answers on Shavuot

I want to take the time to address some frequently asked questions about the Biblical set apart time of Shavuot, and how it pertains to us as believers in Messiah.

Are Shavuot and Pentecost the same thing?

The words Shavuot and Pentecost are used interchangeably in Scripture. Shavuot is the Hebrew word for "Feast of Weeks," whereas Pentecost is Greek for "fiftieth." Both are referring to the set apart time that happens fifty days after the counting of the omer begins during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Of course, different people mean different things by each, but in Scripture they are the same.

Is Shavuot a Sabbath day?Yes, Shavuot is no-work day, and should be treated like the weekly Sabbath. So avoid professional work, shopping, home maintenance, etc. More information on no-work days can be found here.

How do you celebrate it? This is my first year celebrating the feast days.To anyone celebrating for the first time - yay! - I am so proud of you for taking this step of faith and cheering you on as you do it!Take the pressure off of yourself to do everything perfectly and shoot to have a nice day of rest, while remembering the incredible gifts we have been given - the written word and the Holy Spirit!Have some good food, read your Bible, get together with other believers if possible, give an offering to YHWH, give gifts if you wish, pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and make or buy two loaves of bread to remember YHWH's abundant provision that we celebrate during this time.

What day is it?It varies depending on what calendar you go by, but most people will celebrate Shavuot from the evening of May 25 to the evening of May 27. Others will celebrate it May 28. (These dates are for 2023!) Shavuot always happens fifty days after the First Fruits offering after Passover.

What kind of bread or other foods do you make?I like to make strawberry salad or strawberry shortcake! Strawberries are great in my area at this time of year and I like the reminder of the fruit of the Spirit!Milk and honey are often used to symbolize the sweetness of Scripture in our lives, so desserts like cheesecake or fruit tarts are popular as well. See this post for milk and honey dessert recipes!

I also think it's fun to do two loaves of bread of any kind in honor of Leviticus 23:17 that says to offer two loaves to YHWH. This is a great reminder that he provides more than enough for our needs. You could make or buy fancy breads made with herbs or olives or cheese or you an ultimate make your own grilled cheese bar, with lots of different cheeses, veggies, and condiments! Babka is another fun bread for Shavuot.

What Bible passages are good for this time?Great things to study during Shavuot would be the covenant, and the Holy Spirit. The book of Ruth is traditionally studied at this time of year. Leviticus 23:15-21, Acts 2, 1 Corinthians 12, Exodus 20:1-17, and Galatians 5:22 are some of my favorites.

Here are some more verses to check out! See this post.

What do you do to celebrate?Take the day off work, spend time with loved ones, talk about the ways you have seen the Holy Spirit at work in your life, read Acts 2, go see wheat being harvested if possible, make a big fruit salad to symbolize the fruit of the Spirit, get immersed, host a Bible study!

What verses tell us that believers in Messiah should observe the feasts?Exodus 34:22 - "You shall observe the festival of Shavuot."We should celebrate Shavuot because Scripture tells us to! Nowhere in Scripture does it tell us that the set apart times are done away with! This post goes into more details about why we as believers in Messiah should keep the feasts.

Or as Torah Sisters says: the giving of the law and the giving of the Spirit are big deals!

When do we actually start counting?Scripture instructs us to count fifty days and then celebrate Shavuot. Our starting point for that is the Sunday after Passover, which is known as First Fruits. This is the day the Messiah rose from the grave!

Ways to celebrate with toddlers?Crafts and Bible stories around the fruit of the Spirit, the giving of the Holy Spirit, and the ten commandments are all very appropriate!Bible Pathway Adventures has free activity and coloring sheets for kids too!

Does the lamp stand all over the Bible have any significance with this?The lamp stand that the Bible talks about is a seven branched menorah! This correlates with the seven Biblical holidays.

How to celebrate?This is a day to remember the giving of Scripture and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit! I enjoy getting together at a lake with other believers (the lake is a great opportunity for immersion), we share a meal and read/discuss Bible stories related to these times.I also like finding ways to 'give the word' to others - sharing a printable Bible verse, memorizing a passage to share with others, gathering Bibles to donate etc.

What is the meaning of it?On Shavuot we remember both the giving of the written word and commandments, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. It is also a time when we celebrate that YHWH provides for our needs! Shavuot happens when wheat is being harvested. During Bible times, wheat was a significant part of the daily diet, and the harvest being brought in was a tangible reminder of YHWH providing for them! On Shavuot we look back at the ways YHWH provided in Scripture and in our own lives.
More on Shavuot:
Celebrating the Fruit of the Spirit at Shavuot
Shavuot Provision
Seven Ways to Celebrate Shavuot

Celebrating the Fruit of the Spirit at Shavuot

Here's a great theme idea for Shavuot: fruit! Since Shavuot is a celebration of the giving of the Holy Spirit (as well as the giving of the Torah), what better time to celebrate the fruit of the Spirit?

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us the the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. Take time to reflect on these and where you're seeing fruit in your life. And then consider incorporating fruit into your celebration of the Biblical holiday of Shavuot! 

DIY Fruit Slice Balloons from Studio DIY

Fruit Pizza from Pinch of Yum

Fruit Infused Water from Studio DIY

Dragon Fruit Soap Popsicles from A Beautiful Mess

Fruit Slice Cakes from Studio DIY

Agua Fresca from Cookie and Kate

DIY Fruit Necklaces from Sugar & Cloth

Tropical Papaya Bowls from Minimalist Baker

DIY Fruit Balloon Garland from Studio DIY

Strawberry Salsa from Cookie and Kate

DIY Foldable Paper Strawberry Garland from Studio DIY

Fruit Honeycombs from The House That Lars Built

Lemon Ginger Fruit Salad from A Beautiful Mess

DIY Fruit Koozies from Sugar & Cloth

DIY Fruit-Inspired Mini Party Hats from Studio DIY

May the fruit of the Holy Spirit be seen in your life!

Want to learn more about Shavuot and the other Biblical holidays?
-Here's an introduction of the Biblical holidays.
-What is Shavuot all about?
-Shavuot is found in the New Testament!
-Learn about ideas for celebrating Shavuot here.
-These Scriptures are great to read at Shavuot.

Milk and Honey Desserts for Shavuot

At Shavuot we celebrate the giving of the Torah and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This joyous time reminds us to celebrate the incredible provision of YHWH for our needs both spiritually and physically. The combination of milk and honey is traditionally eaten at this time of year and it represents both the Promised Land, as well as the sweetness of Scripture in our lives. I've compiled some delicious desserts that will make your Shavuot celebration very special. A few of them don't contain honey but you could certainly substitute with it as you see fit. I tried to include something for everyone with some vegan options, gluten free recipes, and healthier options.

No Bake Fruit Tart from Half Baked Harvest

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie a La Mode Popsicles from Snixy Kitchen

Bursting Blueberry Lemon Layer Cake from Half Baked Harvest

Salted Caramel Cheesecake Mini Pavlovas from Snixy Kitchen

Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake from Making Thyme for Health

Roasted Berry and Honey Yogurt Popsicles from Cookie and Kate

Chocolate Lovers Greek Yogurt Mousse Cake from Half Baked Harvest

Strawberry Rosehip Frozen Yogurt from Half Baked Harvest

No Bake Greek Yogurt Tart from Cookie and Kate

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars from Minimalist Baker

Chai Affogato with Coconut Milk Ice Cream from Cookie and Kate

Strawberry Chamomile Naked Cake from Half Baked Harvest



More ideas for Shavuot: 
DIY Shavuot Cupcake Toppers
Shavuot Surprise Gift Exchange Game
Seven Ways to Celebrate Shavuot