Sukkot What it's all about

The holiday of Sukkot is named after the booths or huts in which Jews are supposed to live during this week-long festival. The huts are supposed to remind us of the flimsy houses our ancestors lived in as they traveled through the desert heading towards Israel.

Eating and living in a temporary structure--called a sukkah--forces you to think about the important things in life, separating you from material possessions. But because Sukkot is also a harvest festival, it is considered an especially happy and festive time.

In ancient times, when the Temple in Jerusalem still stood, Sukkot was one of the three major pilgrimage festivals (along with Passover and Shavuot). Sukkot begins five days after Yom Kippur.

At Home
Now the fun part: building a sukkah! According to Jewish law a sukkah is a temporary structure with at least three sides and a roof made out of thatch or branches. The roof should provide some shade or protection from the sun, but still allow you to see the stars at night. You can build a sukkah out of wood, fabric, tarps, metal, or anything else you happen to have lying around the house. Traditionally the sukkah is decorated with everything from posters to gourds to paper chains. Meals are eaten in the sukkah (weather permitting) and many people choose to sleep there, too.

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