Sukkot

Sukkot 2014

Tonight is the start of Sukkot, a 7-day Jewish harvest festival that begins at the full moon in late September or early October. 

The word Sukkot means “Booths”; Jews all over the world build outdoor booths for Sukkot, like the simple huts that farmers in ancient Israel lived in during harvest time. The roof is always made of leafy branches, open to the sky so that you see the stars through the leaves. Each family decorates their hut, makes it comfortable, and eats at least two meals there; they invite guests, light candles, and say prayers of thanksgiving for the harvest.

I'm not celebrating Sukkot this year, but I have a lovely post from last year, which I've re-posted here.







Agenda:
1. Build a sukkah:
We had fun piecing this hut together from wood scraps, branches, and African fabric.

2. Make luminaries:
We made paper lanterns with Hebrew words- very pretty.

Supplies: Brown paper lunch bags, crayons, oil, cotton swabs, sand, votive candles

1- Choose a short Hebrew word, like peace, love, beauty, harvest, or autumn.

2- Open a bag, and flatten it so you can spread the word out around the sides and front. Make sure you use the side with no seam.

3- Outline the Hebrew letters near the bottom of the bag, then color around the letters with crayons. Color pretty thickly, to prevent the oil from spreading. Dark crayons give the best effect.

4- Paint inside the letters with oil, using a cotton swab; don't use too much- the oil will spread. Blot up the excess with a paper towel. 



5- Fill the bag with about 2 cups of sand. Add a tea light, and light it very carefully!

3. Cook a stuffed pumpkin and eat in the sukkah:
It's traditional at Sukkot to eat fall harvest foods, especially anything stuffed, because these are a symbol of all the plenty we have been blessed with. 

Ingredients:

• 1 c. brown rice 
• 4 lb. pumpkin 
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 
• 2 apples
• 1/4 c. raisins or dried cranberries

Yield: 4 servings-

1- Put brown rice in a pot and add boiling water to cover by 2 inches. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes.

2- Cut the top off the pumpkin and clean out the seeds and fibrous strings. Rinse, and sprinkle with salt and cinnamon.

3- Core and chop 2 apples. Preheat oven to 350°F. 

4- Drain the half-cooked rice and stir in the raisins or cranberries, and the apple. Stuff the rice and fruit mixture into the pumpkin, replace the top, and place in a greased baking pan. Bake for 1-1/2 hours or until very tender. 

5- Serve each guest a portion of the filling. Then cut the pumpkin into wedges to serve.