Pilgrimages to the tomb of bar Yochai are an important part of the day. This showed that spiritual light had power over other light, and it is another thing that the bonfires symbolize. It also is said that on the day that bar Yochai died, daylight extended until he finished his final teaching, even though it should have turned dark. They are lit in Israel and around the world, and symbolize the light that Zohar brought to the world. The lighting of bonfires is the most common practice of the day. When the 24,000 died, Akiva only had five students left, one of them being Shimon bar Yoachai. The day is also celebrated because it marks the anniversary of the day when the plague that killed Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 disciples ended. The day is a celebration of the great light and wisdom that bar Yochai gave to the world. Bar Yochai died in the second century, on the day that he revealed the secrets of the kabbalah in the Zohar, an important text of Jewish mysticism. He was a Mishnaic sage, great teacher of the Torah, and disciple of Rabbi Akiva. These celebratory festivities also take place because Lag B'omer is a hillula-a celebration marking the anniversary of a death-for Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. The previous days of the Counting of the Omer are a period of mourning and spiritual growth, but the mourning is lifted on the 33rd day, and people celebrate with parties, parades, bonfires, weddings, music, picnics, barbecues, and other outings. It was celebrated by rabbinical students in the Middle Ages-they called it "Scholar's Day" and played outdoor sports to celebrate it. The name of the day literally means "33rd in the Omer." The day was first mentioned in writing in the twelfth century. While this is the name by which it is known by Ashkenazi and Hasidic Jews, it is called Lag LaOmer by Sephardi Jews. Taking place between Passover and Shavuot, Lag B'omer-also known as Lag BaOmer or Lag B'Omer-is a Jewish holiday celebrated on the 18th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar and on the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer.
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