A sukkah (singular of "Sukkot") is a temporary shelter large enough to, theoretically, live in--or at least eat one's meals in during the holiday of Sukkot (say "sue coat.") This week-long holiday is a vivid reminder of the 40 years in the wilderness that the Israelites spent living in temporary shelters between the Exodus from Egypt and the entrance into the Promised Land. (Read the book of Exodus. that should clear it up.) Even God dwelt in a temporary shelter in those days--what we typically call the "tabernacle" or "tent of meeting."
Here's Marc Chagall's rendering of a holiday sukkah, painted in 1916.
This year, we built a small one on stage for a decoration. Crummy photos of ours to follow.
Sukkot is also a harvest celebration, so there's plenty of pumpkins, gourds, and Indian corn.
This is shot looking up at the roof of the sukkah. Part of the rule for building a traditional sukkah is that you must be able to see the night stars through the ceiling of it. Hence, the loosely-placed palm branches.I like this last shot, even though it turned out terribly, because the cross in the background is a visual reminder of John 1:14a "The Word (Jesus) became flesh and pitched his tent among us." The living embodiment of the holiday of Sukkot!
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