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Friday, November 16, 2007

Kids Love Thanksgiving: The Jewish Harvest Festival

Sukkot

Jewish children in Israel and all over the world celebrate
Thanksgiving with the Jewish Harvest Festival called Sukkot.
In modern day Israel and around the world, Sukkot is a 7-day holiday,
with the first day celebrated as a full festival with special prayer services
and holiday meals. Sukkot is a Biblical pilgrimage festival that occurs in
autumn on the 15th day of the month of Tishri (late September to late October).
The holiday lasts 7 days. This year it took place from the sunset of October 13
- the sunset of October20/21 depending on your location in the world.

The Festival of Sukkot begins on the fifth day after Yom Kippur.
The holiday commemorates the forty-year period during which
the children of Israel were wandering in the desert.
Sukkot is also a harvest festival.

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Sukkot traditions and customs have both historical
and religious significance. This festival dates back to the
period during which Hebrews wandered in the wilderness on
route to Canaan (now Israel). During their pilgrimage, they lived
in temporary booths. This open living space is called a sukkah.
People also gathered in sukkot to worship and share meals. Thus,
Sukkot is also called the Feast of Tabernacle. During harvest time,
farmers lived in sukkot in open fields because it gave them
more time for harvesting. During Succoth, farmers take this time to
thank God for the crops.

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On each of the seven days of Sukkot, the Torah requires
the Jew to take Four Species of plants and to grasp and shake
them in a specific manner. These species are:
the lulav (date palmfrond), hadass (bough of a myrtle tree),
aravah (willow branch)— these three are actually
and collectively referred to as the lulav—and the
etrog (a citron, a lemon-like citrus fruit).

http://www.cartoonbarry.com/Sukkot.jpg

The word Sukkot is the plural of the Hebrew word sukkah,
meaning booth or hut. During this holiday,
Jews are instructed to build a temporary structure
in which to eat their meals, entertain guests, relax, and even sleep.
The sukkah is reminiscent of the type of huts in which the
ancient Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of wandering
in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt, and is intended to
reflect God's benevolence in providing for all the Jews' needs
in the desert.


http://www.torahmitzion.org/uploads/images/35/Sukkot_2004_3.jpg

Ancient Sukkah

Kids who love camping outdoors, have a lot of fun. The sukkah
has at least three sides and a partially open roof covered with
greenery such as olive branches.
Three sides of the sukkah are
covered with blue and gold fabric.
Part of the fun of sukkot is
decorating the sukkah with fruits, flowers and, in the United States,
autumn vegetables like corn and squash.

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During Sukkot, a special ceremony is held each day to
thank God for the harvest.

Sukkot (Hebrew: סוכות or סֻכּוֹת, sukkōt ; "booths",
also known as Succoth, Sukkos, Feast of Booths or
Feast of Tabernacles

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