It is Lag B'Omer

I found several interesting accounts of what Lag B'Omer celebrates.

The most common answers include the lifting of the plague in the time of Rabbi Akiva, the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai who shared his "enlightenment" with his students when he died and thus is a day to celebrate. But one perspective I thought was quite different was from jtsa.edu:

The holiday of Lag Ba'omer originated in the era of Roman rule in Judea, when Torah study was forbidden and Jewish teachers had to carry on a guerilla war (on the battlefield and in the classroom) to insure that the Torah would be passed on.

A legend tells us that Lag Ba'omer commemorates a day on which a plague which had been killing Rabbi Akiba's students suddenly ended. But--many say that the 'plague' was really 'the Roman plague,' the students were dying in battle, and Lag Ba'omer commemorates a victory, perhaps even the recapture of Jerusalem.

On Lag Ba'omer it's traditional to go on a picnic to remind ourselves of the secret study of the Torah and the secret planning meetings for the rebellion which were conducted in the woods. By so doing we remind ourselves that there have been times when (and still are places where) Jews have risked their lives to study Torah and to pass it on.

Lag Ba'omer has become a day for honoring teachers of Torah, those who own Torah and pass it on.

Pass It On!

It is especially celebrated in Israel with parties and bon fires and many weddings. Everyone gets their hair cut because they have not had a haircut since before Pesach as a sign of mourning for those who died in the "plague".

This is also a reminder day that Shavuot is only 16 days away...