What is the meaning of Sukkot and what greetings can you use to celebrate the Jewish harvest festival?

SAM October 13, 2019

A sukkah decorated with fruit — Sukkot is celebrated by the construction of a temporary hut, known as a Sukkah (Picture: Issam Rimawi /Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Today (Sunday 13 October) marks the beginning of Sukkot, otherwise known as the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles.

It’s a busy time of year in the Hebrew calendar as many important holidays and festivals fall between October and December.

So what is Sukkot, how is it celebrated and what greetings can you share?

Find out here.

What is Sukkot?

The festival of Sukkot begins five days after the end of fasting for Yom Kippur, and lasts for seven days.

It celebrates the gathering of the harvest and commemorates the sheltering of the Israelites in the wilderness when they left Egypt.

a sukkah on a beach in tel aviv — Sukkahs are erected across cities in Israel and beyond (Picture: Michael Jacobs/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images)

The main objective of the holiday is to build a Sukkah, an outdoor booth which provides shade while allowing those inside of it to see the sky.

These should be made up at least three walls and a roof made of unprocessed foliage such as bamboo or pine branches.

Once built, families eat all their meals inside the Sukkah.

Some may choose to sleep there, although in the chilly October temperatures many simply eat there, spending the rest of their time at home.

Orthodox Jews shop for plants to use for upcoming Sukkot celebrations — The roof of a Sukkah must be made of unprocessed materials, such as plants (Picture: Uriel Sinai/ Getty Images)

The festival begins with two days of Yom Tov, where it is forbidden to work, followed by four intermediate days known as Chol Hamoed.

During these days, normal work and activities may be resumed but eating (or living) in the Sukkah continues.

The seventh day, known as Hoshanah Rabbah, offers a final chance for repentance, in a special synagogue service in which seven circuits are made by worshippers.