Sukkot Description
The Feast of Tabernacles, a seven-day biblical festival commemorating the Israelites' 40-year journey through the desert and the fall harvest. Jewish families build sukkot — temporary booths with thatched roofs — in balconies, gardens, and public spaces, where meals are eaten and some even sleep. Synagogues hold services with the ritual waving of the Four Species: lulav (palm branch), etrog (citron), hadass (myrtle), and aravah (willow). Government offices, banks, and most businesses close for the first day fully, with intermediate days (Chol HaMoed) seeing partial closures. The holiday is a time of national vacation, with families traveling to nature reserves, festivals, and Jerusalem's sukkah-filled streets.
