How to Decorate a Sukkah

Sukkot is the Jewish holiday that literally translates from Hebrew as "booths." It is one of three holidays known as the pilgrim festivals, when Jews would travel, in ancient times, to the main temple in Jerusalem. Now, it is a celebration that remembers, among other things, the pilgrimage that Jews made for 40 years in the desert to find Canaan. Jews are instructed to build their own sukkah during this festival. It is customary to decorate your sukkah in a specific way, and it can be a lot of fun as well.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Make your sukkah. The Torah specifies the type of structure a sukkah must be. It must be temporary and have at least three walls. The fourth may be the side of a house, if it is being built against one. It must also be outside. The roof must be made of vegetation, anything from fruit to vines to bamboo. Even tree branches and leaves are acceptable. Creativity is encouraged.

2. Put up signs and Judaica art. It is not necessary, but considered a mitzvah (honorable act), to put up signs with Jewish prayers inside the sukkah. These can be as simple as a piece of paper with a Jewish prayer on it, or as elaborate as elegant script work on canvas or parchment. It is also customary to put up Judaica artwork that portrays stories from the Torah, or shows good deeds being done.

3. Adorn the walls and posts with fruit and produce. This is a festival that also celebrates the harvest, so decorate with anything fresh that has been grown and picked recently. Local produce is always best. Some great fruits and produce of the season are gourds, pumpkins and squash of any kind. Be creative and have fun with it!

4. Set aside a special place for your child's artwork. The last tradition for decorating a sukkah—hanging children's art inside it—is, perhaps, the most recent. Often, Jewish schoolchildren make Sukkot-related art pieces in class and bring them home during the week of Sukkot. One of the mitzvot for Sukkot is the act of rejoicing. These art pieces are put on display with pride inside many a home's sukkah as a way of "rejoicing" in a child's accomplishment.