Sukkot (Festival of Booths/Tabernacles)
Celebrated for 7-8 days in September or October.
During this festival, some Jews build a sukkah (Hebrew for tent) and live
or eat in it for the week.
The temple usually builds a sukkah.
Sukkot celebrates 2 things:
It recalls how the Jews in old days used to take offerings of fruit to the temple.
It recalls how the Jews were once traveling in the desert and lived in tabernacles.
The most important part of the sukkah is the roof.
It is made of branches and has fruit hanging from it.
It is built so that the sky can be seen through it. This is a reminder of when the
Jews were traveling in
desert with no real home.
At the special synagogue service, everyone holds branches of certain
trees.
This branch is called the "lulav."
The trees are palm (symbolizing the spine), willow (symbolizing the lips) and myrtle
(symbolizing the
eyes).
They hold the branches in their right hands.
In their left hands, they hold a citron (symbolizing the heart) or "etrog."
During the service, the people walk around the synagogue carrying the citron and waving
the branches.
They are waved in all directions to show that God rules the universe.]
Joining the palm, willow, myrtle and citron reminds Jews that God must be worshiped with
every part of
them.