The Holiday of Succot

The holiday of Succot (also spelled Succoth or Sukkot in English) falls on the 15th day of Tishri (usually in late September or early October), and commemorates the temporary dwellings the Children of Israel built in the wilderness after the Exodus.

By law, all stores and places of business in Israel are closed on Succot. It is thus appropriate to give a holiday gift of flowers the day before.

According to the Bible, the Feast of Booths (Succot) was a thanksgiving festival. From ancient times, this was one of the most impotant feasts of the Israelites (Leveticus 23:39, Judges 21:19).
A Succa (also called a booth or tabernacle), is usually constructed of a wood or pipe framework, with cut branches and leaves serving as a roof. Building, eating and sleeping in a Succa is in many ways the closest to Nature that city folks can get.

The Succa has traditionally always been richly decorated. A variety of fruits hang from its roof of foliage, and often there are pictures and tapestries on the wall.

In today's Israel, the sound of hammers and construction ring out from every neighborhood after the end of Yom Kippur, soon after darkness falls. For the next four days, children happily build the family Succa on the grass in the backyard. Those who do not have a backyard, build the Succa on an open balcony or on the roof. Yes, the neighborhood tree house usually gets renovated at this time of year.

Most municipalities choose this time to trim the city's trees, cutting dangerous branches like those that have grown close to power lines. The foliage is often piled on the sidewalks, but is not collected. People use this foliage as roofing for their Succot. Only at the end of the 7-day holiday in Israel the municipalities collect the (by then) dried out foliage.

This ecologically friendly arrangement discourages people from cutting down live branches and damaging living trees. Only braches which would have had to be pruned anyway, are cut.

During the week of Succa there is no school and children often turn their Succa into a type of 'clubhouse' where they spend a good part of the day with their friends, especially in the evening. A lone light bulb hanging from the ceiling and connected to an extension cord is the source of light. A portable CD Player/radio is standard equipment.

In Israel at this time of year, the weather is still summer-like and warm. It has not rained for over half a year, for it is near the end of the dry season. With amazing regularity, the first short drizzle of the winter rainy season almost always occurs either shortly before or during the week of Succot. The weather is wonderful: not oppressively hot during the day and very pleasant in the evenings.

Flowers play an important part of the well-wishing associated with the holiday. Relatives send flowers to each other on the day before the holiday and people often buy a bouquet of flowers to brighten up their living rooms