Sukkot in Israel

Sukkot is considered as one of the major Festivals and Events in Israel as it knits together the Jewish community in a spirit of festivity and merriment. The festival gets its name from the Sukkos, or ‘booths’ in Hebrew as dwelling in a booth is the very essence of Sukkot. The festival is actually an occasion which dates back to the ancient era when the Jews in Egypt migrated to Jerusalem each year after a good harvest in autumn. Sukkot is today an event for recounting the ancient custom, and the Jewish community today seeks to continue the exodus by staying in bamboo booths just like their ancestors had once lived as they crossed the deserts on their way to the holy city.

Sukkot in Israel is a major affair as the country celebrates the occasion for seven days in October. Sukkot begins on the fifteenth day of Tishri and extends for seven days after which comes the Shemini Atzeret - a time for returning back home. The entire week is devoted to rejoicing with sumptuous feasts and other festivities. As in the case of any Jewish festival, rituals form an intrinsic part of Sukkot too. One major custom in the occasion is the shaking of the ‘four species’, that is, leaves of date palm, myrtle, willow and citron. The seventh day of Sukkot is the Hoshanah Rabbah, which has its own set of rituals. As the family steps back home in the Shemini Atzeret, another feast follows and this day in Israel is also the time for observing the Simchat Torah, when the last portion of the Torah is read out.

As a major Jewish festival, Sukkot gifts Israel a week of gaiety and celebration. While the entire country relishes a week’s holiday, the tourist destinations remain flocked with numerous visitors from the country and beyond. The streets are lined with numerous makeshift booths in which the Jewish families share their meals or even stay during the seven days of Sukkot.