The Jewish festival of Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Booths, begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month according to the biblical calendar, or September 29 this year. God instructs Moses in the Book of Leviticus, “You shall live in booths for seven days.” This is the origin of the seven-day celebration. Today, adherents commemorate the holiday by constructing sukkahs out of wood, canvas, or aluminum and praying inside them. Following their exodus from Egypt, the Israelites were compelled to live in flimsy dwellings for forty years as they wandered the wilderness. This is commemorated during the holy week.
The background of Sukkot
Similar to Thanksgiving is Sukkot. Thanksgiving is an occasion for expressing gratitude for blessings such as excellent food and a safe home. This festivity also honors the annual harvest.
The origin of the holiday can be traced back to the biblical story of Exodus, in which the Jews were liberated from Egyptian slavery. They wandered the desert and lived in impermanent shelters for forty years after gaining their freedom.
The Bible contains references to hag haasif or the “Feast of the Ingathering” and hag ha-sukkot or the “Feast of Booths”; fruit and grain were gathered at the conclusion of the harvest, and the events of the Israelites living in huts during their years of wandering are depicted. To celebrate, shelters, or’sukkah’, are constructed from branches and specific plants. God is petitioned incessantly for favors and a bountiful harvest.
The seventh day of the festival is known as Hoshana Rabba, while the eighth day, despite being a part of the Sukkot celebration, is sometimes regarded as a separate festival known as Shemini Atzeret.
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5 FACTS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT SUKKOT
Sukkot begins at night before the 15th of the month of Tishrei on the Jewish calendar.
Sukkot is also referred to as Chag Haasif, Chag, and Zeman Simchatenu.
The sukkah structure is covered with bamboo or other vegetation.
In the sukkah, all activities and meals are held, and some people even slumber there.
Hoshana Rabba concludes the Sukkot celebration.
SUKKOT DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | September 20 | Monday |
| 2022 | October 9 | Sunday |
| 2023 | September 29 | Friday |
| 2024 | October 16 | Wednesday |
| 2025 | October 6 | Monday |
