Shavuot 2026

When Is Shavuot in 2026?

In 2026, Shavuot falls on May 21. The observance lasts 1 day (Israel) / 2 days (Diaspora). Because Shavuot follows a 6–7 Sivan (50 days after the first day of Passover), Hebrew lunisolar calendar, the exact Gregorian date shifts each year. Begins at sundown. In Israel, Shavuot is 1 day; in the Diaspora, 2 days. Some communities follow the Biblical count of 50 days from the Sabbath after Passover, which can place Shavuot a day later than the rabbinic 6 Sivan date. The all-night Torah study (Tikkun Leil Shavuot) begins at sundown. Since Shavuot's date changes from year to year, here are the dates for the next five years so you can plan ahead: Year Date 2026 May 21 2027 June 10 2028 May 30 2029 May 19 2030 June 7

What Time Does Shavuot Start in Your Time Zone?

Shavuot begins at sunset on the 6th of Sivan in the Hebrew calendar (the 7th of Sivan is the second day in the diaspora). In 2026, Shavuot begins at sunset on Sunday, May 24 and ends at nightfall on Tuesday, May 26 (in the diaspora; in Israel, it ends at nightfall on May 25). As with all Jewish holidays, each day begins at sunset, so the festival spans two Gregorian dates each day. The Tikkun Leil Shavuot all-night study session begins after the evening service on the first night of Shavuot and continues until dawn. In 2026, the study session begins on the evening of May 24 (after sunset) and continues through the night. The sunrise prayer service (Shacharit) on May 25 marks the conclusion of the study session. Because the Jewish day begins at sunset, families in different time zones start their Shavuot at different clock times — but the same sunset. The table below shows the observance date for Shavuot in major time zones around the world: Location Observance Date Time Zone New York, USA May 21 EST/EDT (UTC-5/-4) London, UK May 21 GMT/BST (UTC+0/+1) New Delhi, India May 21 IST (UTC+5:30) Sydney, Australia May 21 AEST/AEDT (UTC+10/+11) Dubai, UAE May 21 GST (UTC+4)

The Story Behind Shavuot

Shavuot — the Festival of Weeks — is a Jewish festival that occurs 50 days after the second day of Passover, commemorating the giving of the Torah to the Israelites at Mount Sinai. The festival is one of the three pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh Regalim) in the Jewish calendar, when Israelites historically traveled to the Temple in Jerusalem. The name "Shavuot" means "weeks" in Hebrew, referring to the seven weeks counted between Passover and Shavuot (a period called the Omer). Agriculturally, Shavuot marked the wheat harvest in ancient Israel — the festival's other name, Chag HaKatzir ("Festival of the Harvest"), reflects this significance. Farmers brought their first fruits (bikkurim) to the Temple in Jerusalem as an offering of gratitude. Theologically, Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai — the moment when God revealed the law to Moses and the Israelites, establishing the covenant between God and the Jewish people. This dual meaning — agricultural and historical/theological — gives Shavuot its distinctive character. The giving of the Torah is the foundational event of Judaism. According to Exodus 19-20, the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai six weeks after leaving Egypt. On the third day, God descended on the mountain in fire and smoke, accompanied by thunder and lightning, and spoke the Ten Commandments directly to the entire people (the rest of the law was given privately to Moses). The Israelites responded, "All that the Lord has spoken, we will do" — accepting the covenant. This acceptance is reenacted each year on Shavuot, when Jews stay up all night studying Torah, symbolically preparing themselves to receive it anew.

How Shavuot Is Celebrated

Shavuot is observed for two days in the diaspora (one day in Israel). The most distinctive tradition is Tikkun Leil Shavuot — an all-night study session on the first night of the festival. Jews gather in synagogues, community centers, and homes to study Torah, Talmud, and other Jewish texts, with lectures, discussions, and (in some communities) coffee and cheesecake to keep everyone awake. The tradition dates to the 16th century, when the mystics of Safed (in Galilee) instituted the practice. The most famous Tikkun is at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, where tens of thousands gather to study and pray through the night. The other distinctive Shavuot tradition is the eating of dairy foods. Unlike most Jewish festivals, which are celebrated with meat meals, Shavuot is associated with dairy dishes like blintzes, cheese cake, cheese kreplach, and quiches. Several explanations are given for this tradition: the Torah is compared to milk and honey in the Song of Songs; the Israelites, having just received the kosher laws at Sinai, did not have kosher meat available and ate dairy instead; and the Hebrew word for milk (chalav) has the numerical value of 40, corresponding to the 40 days Moses spent on Mount Sinai. Whatever the reason, dairy dishes are the iconic Shavuot foods. The Book of Ruth is read in synagogue on Shavuot. The book tells the story of Ruth, a Moabite woman who converts to Judaism and becomes the great-grandmother of King David. The book is read on Shavuot for several reasons: it takes place during the harvest season (corresponding to Shavuot's agricultural theme); Ruth's conversion to Judaism parallels the Israelites' acceptance of the Torah at Sinai; and King David, Ruth's descendant, is traditionally believed to have been born and died on Shavuot. Synagogues are decorated with flowers and greenery on Shavuot, recalling the vegetation on Mount Sinai and the harvest's first fruits. Some communities also decorate with paper cutouts called shavuoslekh, a folk tradition particularly associated with Eastern European Jewish communities. Why Does Shavuot Move Every Year? Shavuot is calculated by counting 49 days from the second day of Passover (the Omer period), with Shavuot falling on the 50th day. In the Hebrew calendar, this corresponds to the 6th of Sivan. The Hebrew calendar's leap-month system keeps Shavuot anchored in May or June. The earliest Shavuot can fall is mid-May; the latest is mid-June. The 50-day counting period (the Omer) connects the Exodus (Passover) to the giving of the Torah (Shavuot), making the two festivals part of a single theological arc.

Calendar Calculation

6–7 Sivan (50 days after the first day of Passover), Hebrew lunisolar calendar

Did You Know? Shavuot Facts & Trivia

Shavuot — the Festival of Weeks — occurs 50 days after the second day of Passover, commemorating the giving of the Torah to the Israelites at Mount Sinai. The festival is one of the three pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh Regalim) in the Jewish calendar, when Israelites historically traveled to the Temple in Jerusalem. The most distinctive Shavuot tradition is Tikkun Leil Shavuot — an all-night study session on the first night of the festival. Jews gather in synagogues, community centers, and homes to study Torah, Talmud, and other Jewish texts, with lectures, discussions, and (in some communities) coffee and cheesecake to keep everyone awake. Unlike most Jewish festivals, which are celebrated with meat meals, Shavuot is associated with dairy dishes like blintzes, cheese cake, cheese kreplach, and quiches. Several explanations are given: the Torah is compared to milk and honey; the Israelites, having just received the kosher laws, did not have kosher meat available; and the Hebrew word for milk (chalav) has the numerical value of 40, corresponding to the 40 days Moses spent on Sinai. The Book of Ruth is read in synagogue on Shavuot. The book tells the story of Ruth, a Moabite woman who converts to Judaism and becomes the great-grandmother of King David. The book is read on Shavuot because it takes place during the harvest season (corresponding to Shavuot's agricultural theme) and because Ruth's conversion parallels the Israelites' acceptance of the Torah.