Sukkot (“Tabernacles”) is the seven-day harvest festival celebrated in the autumn. At Sukkot we remember the Jewish people as they travelled through the desert having escaped Egypt. They travelled for 40 years without permanent shelter, putting up a temporary dwelling called a sukkah whenever they stopped. At Sukkot, Jewish families traditionally build a sukkah in their garden and eat and sleep in it.

The sukkah is often made of natural materials and has a roof made of leaves and branches. Although this should be thick enough to form a proper cover, many people have the custom to leave gaps to see the stars. In some Jewish denominations, there is specific focus on helping homeless charities at this time as we are able to empathise with their need for shelter and safety.

There isn’t room for a sukkah in the box, but it’s an easy for children to make one using a cardboard box and leaves or branches.

 

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