Sukkot

[cellio]

Tonight begins the week-long festival of Sukkot. (That's "booths", for those who were wondering what all the little huts springing up on lawns in Squirrel Hill are about.) Chag sameach to those who celebrate, and happy fall to everyone else.

Naturally, in a week when we're supposed to take our meals outdoors under the fragile roofs of these booths, it's slated to rain more than a little. :-)

(Oddly, according to my favorite weather site, the equinox is today. Isn't that rather late? Or should I automatically view with suspicion a site that tells me that there are "11:60" hours of daylight today?)

Comments

Booths?

[rob-of-unspace.livejournal.com]

A Jewish friend scolded me the other day, saying that she had never heard the term "booths" used in relation to Sukkot. Is this a regionalism, or is she (originally from New York) used to a New Yorkism?

I'd swear I heard it at Washington University when I went there -- at the time it was 70% Jewish. I'd also swear I heard it back when I lived in Squirrel Hill from 1980-1986.

Or maybe she thought I was saying "booze."

I'm really confused.

Re: Booths?

[figmo.livejournal.com]

I'd never heard the term "booths" until this entry. We always thought of them more as "lean-tos" because they're often constructed under an awning attached to one's house. I've even seen a few cases where the sukkah becomes the back porch.

Chag sameach!

Re: Booths?

[cellio]

Chag sameach to you too!

Re: Booths?

[magid.livejournal.com]

Under an awning would be a technical issue, since one is supposed to be able to see the sky in between the bits of branches/wood/palm fronds/etc that are used in place of a regular roof...

Re: Booths?

[cellio]

Hmm, I don't know. I tend to refer to the structures as "huts", but I'm pretty sure the torah translation we use translates the word "sukkah" as "booth". (I've also seen "tabernacle", which is too much bother for too little clarity.) I don't know if there are regional variations.