Five days after Yom Kippur, Sukkot begins. It is a fall harvest holiday which dates back to the time of Moses. While wandering in the desert, the Jewish people built temporary huts. Upon reaching the land of Israel, they became farmers. At harvest time, they built little huts near their crops and lived in them until they finished harvesting. Today Sukkot celebrates the 40 years of wandering as well as the harvest. Many historians believe the American holiday of Thanksgiving is based on the holiday of Sukkot.
Some Jews begin building a sukkah at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. It is a small hut with walls of wood or canvas. The roof of the sukkah is made of leaves and branches placed across wooden slats. The branches should allow sunlight to shine through during the day and the stars to shine through at night.
The inside of the sukkah may be decorated with pictures and Rosh Hashanah greeting cards. Fruits and vegetables are hung from the branch covered ceiling as a reminder that Sukkot is a harvest festival. It is customary to eat meals in the sukkah and also sleep there (if the weather permits) during this holiday celebration that lasts for eight days.
Other symbols of the holiday are the lulav and etrog. The lulav is made of a palm, willow, and myrtle branch and the etrog is a fruit that resembles a lemon. The etrog and the branches of the lulav represent four species of plants. The palm is the emblem of ancient Israel and represents righteousness, the myrtle represents the world to come, the willow is a reminder of life giving water, and the etrog is representative of forbidden fruit.
The four plants can also represent the body. The palm represents the backbone, the myrtle the eyes, the willow the lips, and the etrog the heart. Each day the lulav and etrog are waved inside the sukkah—north, east, west, south, up, and down—demonstrating that God is everywhere.
Inside, outside, upside down! Where is Sammy Spider now? Swinging on an apple, from the roof of the Shapiro family sukkah, he is learning about the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot. Click on the image to visit the book.
All the children in Miss Sharon’s class have brought their favorite fruits to decorate the sukkah. But when Michael brings a watermelon, the class must find a way to hang it! Click on the image to visit the book.
Sukkot Recipes
SUKKOT PUNCH
- 1 qt. cranapple juice
- 2 cups orange juice
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- ½ cup corn syrup
- 1 tsp. grated lemon rind
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
Combine all ingredients. Chill one hour. Skim surface. Garnish with orange slices. Serve.
SUKKOT DUMP CAKE
- 20 oz. can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
- 20 oz. cherry pie filling
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- ½ lb. margarine
Dump and spread pineapple in 9 X 13 baking pan. Dump cherries on top and spread. Dump cake mix and spread. Slice the margarine and cover top of mixture. Bake one hour in 350 degree oven. Serve when cool.
Sukkot Learning Games
- Tactile Identification – Put a fruit or vegetable in a paper bag. Have child feel it and guess what it is.
- Identification – Using fruits or vegetables (real , plastic, or illustrations), have child identify each fruit by name.
Sukkot Songs
from Fun with Jewish Holiday Songs (click here for more songs)
We Are Building Our Sukkah (She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain)
We are building our sukkah, here we come.
We are building our sukkah, here we come.
We are building our sukkah, we are building our sukkah,
We are building our sukkah, here we come.
We will nail wood beams together when we come.
We will nail wood beams together when we come.
We will nail wood beams together, we will nail wood beams together,
We will nail wood beams together when we come.
We will make a roof of branches when we come.
We will make a roof of branches when we come.
We will make a roof of branches, we will make a roof of branches,
We will make a roof of branches when we come.
We will add walls of fabric when we come.
We will add walls of fabric when we come.
We will add walls of fabric, we will add walls of fabric,
We will add walls of fabric when we come.
We will hang our fruit inside it when we’re done.
We will hang our fruit inside it when we’re done.
We will hang our fruit inside it, we will hang our fruit inside it.
We will hang our fruit inside it when we’re done.
Take an Apple (Frere Jacque)
Take an apple, take an apple,
Tied with string, tied with string
Reach for the sky
And hang it up high,
In the sukkah, in the sukkah.
*other fruits may be substituted
I’m Hanging Up an Apple (Baby Bumble Bee)
I’m hanging up an apple for all to see.
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me?
I’m hanging up an apple for all to see.
say: I NEED SOME STRING!
*other fruits may be substituted
Did You Ever Hang an Apple? (Did You Ever See a Lassie)
Did you ever hang an apple, an apple, an apple?
Did you ever hang an apple high in the sukkah?
High in the sukkah,
High in the sukkah,
Did you ever hang an apple high in the sukkah?
*other fruits may be substituted
To the Sukkah We Will Go (London Bridge)
To the sukkah we will go, we will go, we will go.
To the sukkah we will go. IT’S SUKKOT!
Wave the lulav to and fro, to and fro, to and fro.
Wave the lulav to and fro. IT’S SUKKOT!
Smell the etrog, take a sniff, take a sniff, take a sniff.
Smell the etrog, take a sniff. IT’S SUKKOT!
I See Stars (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
From my sukkah late at night,
I see stars shining bright.
As you twinkle down on me,
I’m as happy as can be.
From my sukkah late at night,
I see stars shining bright.
To read about a real watermelon in a real sukkah, click on the image.