Tu B’Shvat originally was the date that established when farmers should bring their offerings to the Temple. When the Second Temple was destroyed, there was no longer a system to make the offerings. To honor the day, in the 17th century, Jewish Kabbalists in Tzfat created a ritual called the Feast of Fruits based on the Passover Seder, celebrating God’s presence in the natural world. As the rituals and readings developed they were recorded in the book, Pri Eitz Hadar (The Fruit of the Goodly Tree) published in 1753 and includes the prayer: “May it be God’s will that by the power vested in the blessing and eating of these fruits, and by contemplating the secrets of their roots, by which we will receive God’s blessing, charity, and abundance; may God make them grow and prosper throughout the year for goodness and blessings, for a good life and for peace.” 

The seder also includes drinking four cups of wine using both white and red wines to mark the year as follows: The first cup was filled with white wine, representing the snow on Mount Hermon and the cold winter season. The second cup was filled with 1/3 red wine and 2/3 white wine to mark the beginning of spring. The third cup was equally mixed with red and white wine to represent the half-rainy and sunny days. The fourth cup was filled with all red wine symbolizing the hot days of summer and the end of the agricultural season.