מנהגי לג בעומר for the non-Kabbalistically Inclined

In our times there are many customs associated with לג בעומר that stem from קבלה. This is because ר שמעון בר יוחאי, author/compiler of Kabbalistic works such as אידרא רבא, אידרא זוטא, died on לג בעומר. He also revealed many secrets to his תלמידים immediately preceding his death, which were later contained in the זהר. In fact, he specifically told them that his entire life he desired to see this day (i.e. the day he would die) upon which revealing those secrets would be opportune, and therefore it is a day of rejoicing for the whole world. [1]

Those who are not Kabbalistically inclined in particular may find it a challenge to ascribe today with any religious significance. To this end, I have collected all the מנהגים that I could find, related to לג בעומר, that do not stem from קבלה [2].

In general, לג בעומר is referred to by the פוסקים [3] as a day of joy and feasting, for then the plague that killed רבי עקיבא's תלמידים subsided. [4]

ר יוסף צבי Dunner related that in his childhood hometown of Keln לג בעומר was a day of שמחה  for children, and that in the תלמוד תורה the מלמדים would take their תלמידים on an outing. דינרי זהב explains that רבי עקיבא began teaching his 5 greatest תלמידים (among whom was רבי שמעון בר יוחאי) on לג בעומר in order to return תורה to the world. Indeed, that same day he gave them סמיכה. For this reason, לג בעומר was made a יו"ט for תלמידי ישיבה [5].

[1] אוצר דינים ומנהגים ערך לג בעומר

[2] The מנהגי אבלות, such as restrictions against music, haircuts and the like, that are lifted today are halachic in nature and are beyond the scope of this discussion.

[3] שו"ע או"ח תצג:ב; מהריל, בין פסח לשבועות אות ז ע"פ רוב כת"י

[4] An additional cause for joy is that on יח אייר the מן began to fall in the מדבר. See חת"ס יו"ד סי' רלג

[5] מנהגי מהריץ הלוי פרק טו אות ב. See דינרי זהב there where the customs of various communities in this regard are discussed at length.