Lag BaOmer day parades brought together Jewish people of all ages in cities and towns around the world. The holiday marks the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer, a day infused with joy.

In 1953, in order to further instill a sense of Jewish pride and to inculcate brotherly love in each child, the Lubavitcher Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—initiated the practice of parades on Lag BaOmer. When the holiday fell on a Sunday, the Rebbe himself would address thousands of children from a podium set up in front of 770 Eastern Parkway, Lubavitch World Headquarters in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Here is a sampling of photos from the thousands of Lag BaOmer parades around the world.

Melbourne, Australia

Palm Beach, Florida

Brooklyn, New York

Beitar Ilit, Israel

Chicago

Irkutsk, Russia

Stamford Hill, London

(Photo: Chili Green)

Recalling Lag BaOmer 1953, Montreal Rabbi Marches On

The first Lag BaOmer parade in 1953 in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., left an indelible impression upon 5-year-old Yosef Minkowitz, second from left. The Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—spoke directly to him and other Jewish schoolchildren with a passion Minkowitz recalls to this day. (Photo from the book “40 Years”)

Having taken part in the very first parade, he continues the tradition in Canada