The rotate property rotates each character by the specified angle.
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
<text x="10" y="20" rotate="30">Each character is rotated</text>
</svg>
To rotate the whole text element, you have to use the transform property.
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
<text transform="translate(10, 60) rotate(30)">The whole text is rotated</text>
</svg>