Dates
Lag BaOmer 2024
Begins at sundown on May 25, 2024 and ends at nightfall on May 26, 2024.
Starts
May 25, 2024
at sundown
Ends
May 26, 2024
at nightfall
Length
1 day
work permitted
Years on file
7 years
2024 to 2030
Lag BaOmer 2024 ended on May 26, 2024. The dates, times and customs below are kept as a record.
Next: Lag BaOmer 2027, sundown May 24, 2027 →Israel or the diaspora?
Same date everywhere.
Lag BaOmer is the 33rd day of the Omer count between Passover and Shavuot, a break in a period of semi-mourning, associated with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.
On the ground
What happens in Israel
Bonfires on every patch of open ground, built by children for weeks beforehand, and a huge pilgrimage to Mount Meron. Air quality across the country measurably drops that night.
Practice
How it is observed
- Bonfires across Israel and at Jewish communities worldwide
- The mass pilgrimage to Mount Meron, resting place of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
- Weddings and haircuts, paused during the Omer, resume
- First haircuts (upsherin) for three-year-old boys
"Lag BaOmer sameach"
Anything grilled: the bonfire barbecue is the modern Israeli tradition.
Every year on file
Lag BaOmer in other years
The Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, so the Gregorian date moves by up to a month from year to year but stays in the same season.
The rest of 2024
Other Jewish holidays in 2024
8 of the 14 other dates on the 2024 calendar, in the order they fall. Each has its own page for 2024.
January 25, 2024
Tu BiShvat 2024
The new year of the trees. Tree planting in Israel and eating the fruits of the land.
March 24, 2024
Purim 2024
Celebrates the rescue of the Jews of Persia as told in the Book of Esther. Megillah readings, costumes, mishloach manot and festive meals.
April 23, 2024
Passover (Pesach) 2024
The festival of freedom, marking the Exodus from Egypt. Seder nights, matzah, and no chametz for eight days (seven in Israel).
May 6, 2024
Yom HaShoah 2024
Holocaust Remembrance Day. In Israel a two-minute siren brings the country to a standstill.
May 13, 2024
Yom HaZikaron 2024
Israel's Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, the day before Independence Day.
May 14, 2024
Yom HaAtzmaut 2024
Israel's Independence Day, marking the declaration of the state in 1948.
June 12, 2024
Shavuot 2024
The festival of receiving the Torah at Sinai. All-night learning and dairy foods. Two days in the diaspora, one in Israel.
August 13, 2024
Tisha B'Av 2024
Fast day mourning the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem. If the 9th of Av falls on Shabbat, the fast is observed on Sunday.
Frequently asked questions
When is Lag BaOmer 2024?+
Lag BaOmer 2024 begins at sundown on May 25, 2024 and ends at nightfall on May 26, 2024. Jewish days start in the evening, so the first full day is May 26, 2024.
How long is Lag BaOmer?+
1 day. Same date everywhere.
Is Lag BaOmer different in Israel?+
Same date everywhere.
What happens in Israel on Lag BaOmer?+
Bonfires on every patch of open ground, built by children for weeks beforehand, and a huge pilgrimage to Mount Meron. Air quality across the country measurably drops that night.
What do you say on Lag BaOmer?+
The standard greeting is "Lag BaOmer sameach".