The Festival of Sukkot. A Season of Rejoicing

The Festival of Sukkot (also known as the Feast of Tabernacles) begins on the fifth day after Yom Kippur - Wednesday Evening, October 8^th and runs through Thursday Evening, October 16^th.  It is quite a transition, from one of the most solemn holidays in the Jewish year to one of the most joyous. Sukkot is so enthusiastically joyful that it is commonly referred to in Jewish prayer and literature as the Season of our Rejoicing.

The word "Sukkot" means "booths," and refers to the temporary dwellings that Jews are commanded to live in during this holiday in memory of the period of wandering.  Sukkot lasts for seven days.

  

Building a Sukkah

In honor of the holiday's historical significance, Jews are commanded to dwell in temporary shelters, as their ancestors did in the wilderness. The temporary shelter is referred to as a sukkah (which is the singular form of the plural word "sukkot").

The sukkah is great fun for the children. Building the sukkah each year satisfies the common childhood fantasy of building a fort, and dwelling in the sukkah satisfies a child's desire to camp out in the backyard. The commandment to "dwell" in a sukkah can be fulfilled by simply eating all of one's meals there; however, if the weather, climate, and one's health permit, one should spend as much time in the sukkah as possible, including sleeping in it.

Since the sukkah is intended to serve as your “home” for the entire seven days, it is customary to decorate it with hanging fruits & plants, flowers, wreaths, ornaments, etc., from the ceiling, and tape posters of various Jewish themes on the walls.

As you prepare to observe the Festival of Sukkot, let us help you celebrate this Season of Rejoicing with a floral bouquet or floral centerpiece, wonderfully arranged by Flowers byPouparina!