Begins the 15th of Tishrei (September or October) and lasts seven days
Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, recalls the forty years the Israelites spent in the wilderness after the Exodus, dwelling in temporary shelters under God's protection. It is also a harvest festival of gratitude for the season's bounty.
For a week, families eat and often sleep in a sukkah, a fragile hut open to the sky, a reminder of both vulnerability and trust. The holiday is followed immediately by Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.
Families construct a temporary hut with a roof of branches or bamboo loose enough to see the stars, decorated with fruit and greenery.
Meals are eaten in the sukkah throughout the week, and some sleep there, living for a time in the open as the Israelites did in the wilderness.
The lulav, a bound cluster of palm, myrtle, and willow, is held together with the etrog, a citron, and waved in six directions as a blessing.
Hospitality is central, and many invite friends, family, and symbolic ancestral guests into the sukkah.
Peppers, cabbage, and squash stuffed with grains and meat evoke the fullness of the harvest.
A slow-braised brisket is a warm centerpiece for meals shared in the sukkah. See the recipe.
The round loaf carried over from the New Year season graces the festival table. See the recipe.
The everyday English greeting.
Happy holiday, the standard Hebrew greeting for the festival.
Happy Sukkot holiday, naming the festival directly.
A sukkah is a temporary hut built for the holiday of Sukkot, with a roof of branches loose enough to see the sky. Families eat and sometimes sleep in it to recall the Israelites' shelters in the wilderness.
The four species are the palm, myrtle, and willow bound together as the lulav, held with the etrog, a citron. They are waved in a blessing during Sukkot as a symbol of unity and thanksgiving.
Sukkot lasts seven days and is followed immediately by the connected holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.
Read the full history and traditions in our Sukkot holiday guide, browse traditional Jewish recipes, look up terms in the glossary, or see the dates on the Hebrew calendar.