Bringing Out My Inner Martha - Edible Sukkahs

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Nope, not even close to wordless this week...
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It's Sukkot, the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, this week. (Follow the link for a full explanation of this week-long holiday.)

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The word sukkot means "booths" - temporary huts that Jews build outside for the holiday in remembrance of the time our ancestors spent wandering for forty years in the desert before reaching the promised land. Technically, Jews are commanded to "dwell" in these huts, but in practice most people just eat their meals in them. People build their sukkot in their backyards, on their balconies, or outside communal apartment buildings. While our family doesn't build a sukkah of our own we do visit our neighbors' sukkah most years (and would have this year too except they decided to go on a three-week tour of China, leaving the evening the holiday began).
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We do however bring a bit of the holiday into our lives (besides enjoying the kids' week-long vacation from school) by doing a fun craft - we make miniature sukkahs which can do double-duty as a healthy holiday snack or a holiday decoration.
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Maya's sukkah

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Itai's sukkah (must give equal billing to both kids)

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To make a sukkah you need:
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Square rice cakes (or graham crackers) for the walls
Peanut butter for the "glue"
Pretzel sticks, for the sekhakh (roofing)
Miniature fruit-shaped candies for the decorations

Each one takes just a few minutes to build, and even very young children can join in with a little bit of help.

As a bonus shot to make up for my being not even close to wordless this week, here's my daughter pretending to be "inside" her sukkah (before it was moved from her "workshop" to a clean more photogenic plate).

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Chag sameach, happy holidays, to all celebrating and drop by Rocks in my Dryer to see what's working for everyone else this week.