Sukkot

Sukkot History

Sukkot (Hebrew: סוכות), meaning Tabernacles, is the autumnal 'foot festival' in which Jews are commanded to leave their permanent houses and to dwell in booths for seven days. The idea behind this is to remember that the Israelites lived in booths in the Wilderness for forty years. Additionally, when the Temple stood in Jerusalem, this was a pilgrimage holiday to celebrate the harvest.

Tabernacles are typically built out of wood or sheet metal. They have a roof made of a natural product such as leaves or palm branches. Through these, stars can be seen at night. The Succah must be built of certain dimensions (not too low or too high) and should have three or four walls.

On Succot, it is customary for Jewish men to buy a set of the four kinds/species comprising of a lulav (a palm branch), an etrog (a citron), a hadassim (myrtle), and an aravot (willows).

Top 10 Facts for Sukkot (Begins) in 2026

• For the 2026 observance, the festival of Sukkot begins at sundown on Friday, September 25, and continues through the evening of October 2, following immediately after the solemn period of the High Holidays.
• Building a temporary hut known as a sukkah is the central observance of the holiday, serving as a symbolic reminder of the fragile shelters the Israelites inhabited during their forty-year journey through the desert following the Exodus.
• The sukkah must be topped with sechach—an organic roof covering made of harvested greenery, bamboo, or branches—that provides shade while remaining sparse enough to allow those inside to see the stars.
• Sukkot is one of the three major pilgrimage festivals, known in Hebrew as Shalosh Regalim, on which ancient Israelites were commanded to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem.
• The holiday is often called Zeman Simchatenu, or 'The Time of Our Rejoicing,' marking a shift from the introspective and serious nature of the preceding High Holidays toward a period of community-focused celebration.
• The ritual of the 'Four Kinds'—consisting of a palm frond (lulav), myrtle twigs (hadass), willow branches (aravah), and a citrus fruit (etrog)—is performed daily throughout the holiday, except on Shabbat.
• A tradition known as Ushpizin involves symbolically inviting seven distinguished guests from Jewish history into the sukkah each night to emphasize the themes of hospitality and welcoming.
• While Sukkot is biblically rooted in the commemoration of the desert journey, it also functions as an ancient harvest festival, historically referred to in scripture as Chag HaAsif, or the 'Festival of Ingathering'.
• The final day of the festival, known as Hoshana Rabbah, serves as a day of deep reflection and special prayers, involving a ceremony where willow branches are beaten against the ground.
• The conclusion of the week-long Sukkot festival leads directly into the dual holiday of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, which features the completion and restart of the annual Torah reading cycle.

In the News and Trending in the US for Sukkot

Top things to do in the US for Sukkot

• Purchase or make your own Sukkah. They are typically designed to be assembled and disassembled quickly - in less than two hours by two people.
• One can buy the four kinds (of material used to build Sukkot as per the Torah) or order them from Israel. The four kinds include palm branches, an Etrog (citron), three willow branches and two myrtle branches. The palm, myrtle and willow are bound together in a palm holder.
• See the movie Ushpizin (2004), with English subtitles. It follows a poor couple and showcases their effort to buy a beautiful four species set. Ushpizin can be viewed on YouTube.
• Read the book of Ecclesiastes or watch a lecture about it. It was written by King Solomon. It relates to the futility of life, apart from basic belief and being righteous.
• Attend a local Succot fair.