This week is Sukkot or the Feast of the Tabbernacles and it celebrates the harvest. Jews construct little huts or "sukkah" in their yards and have meals in them all week. This has become one of my favorite holidays because kids LOVE it. I recently read this post on Kveller about how decorating a sukkah can be celebrated just as much as decorating a Christmas Tree. Jewish holidays are WONDERFUL but its hard to compete with the glitz and glam of Christmas in America. Our friends have an annual sukkah party and every one comes over and has cookies and cider in the sukkah. Its a wonderful tradition, they hang art work their children have made over the years on the burlap walls, go out to a farm to get cornstalks for the rooftop, and have a little growth chart on the wooden beams that hold the hut together showing how their children inevitably grow bigger and bigger as each year passes.
This is such a sweet tradition and I adore the idea of having our own sukkah one day, made of the same materials year after year. I'd love to have family and friends (jews and non-jews) over for cookies and to celebrate the season. I can't wait for Owen to bring home artwork for me to display and be old enough to say the prayers and shake the lulav. I can't wait for Jeremy to be home in the evening to build a sukkah with his children.
But for now we're thankful to celebrate with friends and happy to live in a community where every other house on the street has a sukkah. My contribution this year was the most perfect pumpkin bread, I have already tucked the recipe away to share for years to come.
Enjoy the harvest!
no, i was thinking, YAY! another jewish holiday!
ReplyDeletereally, can there ever be too many religious holidays?
the feast of booths sounds like loads of fun :)
Forewarning-you will be receiving lots of comments from me.
ReplyDeleteWhat an fun holiday and I know it must be very special to have a community to celebrate it with!