How long is sukkot

More info. Sukkot lasts for about seven days in most parts of the world, except in Jerusalem, where it is an eight-day festival. The seventh day of Sukkot is known as Hoshana Rabbah while the eighth day is known as Shmini Atzeret. However, the first day of the biblical holiday is kept as the Sabbath, so many Jews do not engage in work activities on this day. Sukkot is the only one out of the Jewish holidays whose date does not seem to commemorate a historic event.

The holiday is observed during the week starting on the 15th day of Tishrei which is the first and holiest month of the year in the Jewish calendar. The holiday serves not only as a harvest festival but as an observance of God's protection during the 40 years of wandering which followed the Jewish people fleeing Egypt during the Exodus.

Chag HaAsif is a time to express appreciation for this bounty and Chag HaSukkot commemorates the temporary dwellings God made to shelter Jews on their way out of Egypt.

This rule is still observed today. Note: Jewish holidays begin at sundown the day before the date specified for the holiday. While we diligently research and update our holiday dates, some of the information in the table above may be preliminary. If you find an error, please let us know. Many Jewish communities in countries such as the United States observe the last day of Sukkot, which marks the end of the Sukkot festival.

Thanksgiving Day in the United States is traditionally a holiday to give thanks for the food collected at the end of the harvest season. Robert E. Sign in. A Rabbi is pictured praying during Sukkot. Symbols An important Sukkot symbol is the sukkah. Jewish Holidays Last Longer Outside of Israel In the Jewish diaspora—Jewish communities outside of Israel—an extra day is usually added to religious observances, with the exception of Yom Kippur , which lasts only one day worldwide, and Rosh Hashana , which is celebrated over two days in both Israel and the diaspora.

First Day of Sukkot Observances Showing: — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — In Israel, sukkahs are a common sight for the holiday, but not just in homes.

Restaurants, hotels or just public events and venues will frequently have them set up for guests or patrons to use during the holiday. The next iconic practice is lulav. Worshipers combine what are known as the Four Species arba minim for this ritual.

These are as follows:. These are bound together and are shaken during the holiday, except on Shabbat, in a specific order of directions. This is first done in the Hallel prayer, and later on in the Hoshanot , where the congregation marches around the synagogue chanting after the chazzan. The holiday itself lasts seven days, not including the eight additional day of Shmini Atzeret, with only the first day being Yom Tov festival with restrictions on working and using electronics similar to Shabbat.

The rest of the days are called Chol HaMoed where one can work, though people must still wave the foru species and eat in the sukkah. However, this is only the case in Israel. Outside of Israel, the dates are slightly different. As is the case with most Jewish festivals, most Jewish communities in the Diaspora observe two days of Yom Tov followed by making the final but separate Shmini Atzeret festival into two days as well, with the second day being referred to as Simhat Torah in Israel these two are combined into one day as mentioned above.

As such, Hol HaMoed is observed on the second-seventh days of the festival in Israel, and the third-seventh days in the Diaspora. In terms of prayer, Sukkot follows a similar pattern to the other pilgrimage festivals.

On Yom Tov, the prayer is treated the same way as Shabbat, up until the Shmona Esrei part prayer during the Shacharit , Mincha and Ma'ariv prayer services morning, afternoon and evening , when the special version for the three pilgrimage festival is recited instead, with certain phrases being swapped in or out depending on the festival in question.

During Torah readings, specific portions are read depending on the holiday. As a festival, the Mussaf additional prayer is also included, with the pilgrimage festival version of the Mussaf prayer being recited following Torah reading. The Hallel prayer is also included, with a special focus on incorporating waving of the lulav and the inclusion of the Hoshanot.

During Hol HaMoed, the prayer service follows the weekday formula, though additions are made due to the festival such as the adding of the Ya'aleh Ve'Yavo let us go up and come prayer in Shmona Esrei, the use of Hallel and Hoshanot, and the inclusion of Mussaf and Torah reading.

Many Jews also have a custom not to wear tefilin phylacteries during Hol HaMoed. Tags Judaism Sukkot history prayer. Subscribe for our daily newsletter. Hot Opinion. Most Read. Reporters' Tweets. About Us. Contact us. Advertise with Us. Terms Of Service. Privacy Policy. Subscriber Agreement.