Sukkot 16 - 23 October
- Written byStudent Communications
- Published date 16 October 2024
Chag Sameach! Today marks the start of the weeklong Jewish celebration of Sukkot.
Sukkot celebrates the gathering of the harvest and is sometimes referred to as Chag Ha-Asif, (the Feast of the Ingathering). Many aspects of the festival centre around thanking God and rejoicing for the harvest that has been brought in.
Sukkot is the plural of sukkah meaning ‘huts’ or ‘booths’ in Hebrew, which Jews often build to live, eat and sometimes sleep in during the celebrations. The festival recalls the days when the Israelites lived in sukkah during their years of wandering in the wilderness after escaping slavery in Egypt.
Why is Sukkot important?
Sukkot is one of the most joyful festivals in Judaism, meant to bring families, friends and communities together. The holiday commemorates the 40 years that the Israelites wandered in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt.
Spending time in a fragile hut reminds Jews of living exposed to the world, without the comforts of a house around them. It aims help Jews remove themselves from thoughts of material possessions and reflect on God as security and protection. The roof made of branches with holes give a view of the stars above and metaphorically shows this security of God's heaven.
How do people mark Sukkot?
Different denominations, groups and individuals celebrate Sukkot differently, with many elements of the celebrations taking place in the home and are a part of individual or familial ways of celebration.
After Yom Kippur people start to build a sukkah as the central symbol of the holiday. A sukkah should be a fragile, temporary structure with 3 sides and the roof is to be made from thatch or branches, to provide shade but also allow the stars to be seen at night.
Once the sukkah is built, many people decorate it with hanging fruit, gourds and art. Throughout the celebrations, those celebrating aim to spend as much time as possible in the sukkah, eating meals in the sukkah and some even sleep in them.
Another Sukkot observance is the taking of the Four Kinds, 4 species of plant: an etrog (citron), a lulav (palm frond), hadassim (myrtle) and aravot (willow). For many Jews these are meant to represent the bounty of the Holy Land and the various personalities that make up the Jewish community emphasising their unity. On each day of the festival (except Shabbat, the time of rest and celebration from Friday evening to the following nightfall), Jews take the Four Kinds, recite a blessing over them, ritually bind them and wave them in all six directions (right, left, forward, up, down and backward).
Throughout the weeklong celebration of Sukkot, different days have certain celebrations, observances and special festival readings. The first day, or for some 2 days, are considered Yom Tov, where work is forbidden, candles are lit, and festive meals are eaten in the sukkah. During the intermediate days, known as Chol Hamo-ed, normal activities can be pursued alongside meals in the sukkah and the taking in and waving of the Four Kinds. The seventh day of Sukkot is known as Hoshana Rabbah and is marked by a special service in a synagogue.
For some denominations, Sukkot is then either concluded by or immediately followed by the holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.
At the conclusion of Sukkot, some Jews then donate the items used to decorate their sukkah to those in need.
From 15 October until 26 November the UAL Chaplaincy Faith Advisor and Jewish chaplain at King’s College London, Dr Harrie Cedar, will be holding online ‘Meditations on the Jewish Bible’ sessions every evening on Zoom from 5 – 6pm. Find out how to join the online sessions.