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Sukkah decoration ideas to try at home

Learn how to make a successful Sukkah decoration by adopting some easy but elegant ornament and craft-creating ideas.

Published at Wed, May 29 2019 • Updated Thu, September 12 2019
A decorated Sukkah builded in a yard of a family house.
A decorated Sukkah builded in a yard of a family house.

Easy but elegant ideas to decorate your Sukkah

The various Sukkah decorating elements target to beautify this temporary dwelling and in most of the times they include some symbolization related to the culture, the history and the tradition of the Israelites.

Children's drawings

Children preparing drawings for the Sukkah.
Children preparing drawings for the Sukkah.

The children of the family play always a significant role in the decoration process. Thus, it is quite typical to use some of their own art decorating the Sukkah.

There are many Jewish families in Israel and diaspora who try to involve their children in the Sukkah building process and there is no doubt that the decorating part is the most convenient for that. It is a time when the whole family spends constructive time together and the younger members invest in their drawing skills.

The recent years there are also many schools in Israel (especially when it comes to lower grades) which support the "Sukkot-theme" drawings that in many cases become decorating items at the Sukkahs of the children's homes.

Fruits and vegetables

Fruit and vegetable decorations in a Sukkah.
Fruit and vegetable decorations in a Sukkah.

Given that Sukkot is also known as the Festival of Harvest, some fruits and vegetables have always a prominent spot at the Sukkah decoration.

Fruits and vegetables have been traditionally some of the main decorating items in sukkahs. Apart from their direct implication to the historical harvest aspect of the festival, they were existing in almost every household and in any case they were cheap to obtain.

Either hanging from the sukkah roof of decorating the walls, they offer a colorful notion at the temporary dwelling and refer to the agricultural sector which historically supported the Israelites.

Jar lanterns and lights

Light decorations on the walls of a Sukkah.
Light decorations on the walls of a Sukkah.

Bringing some light in the Sukkah can be achieved with some homemade jar lanterns of even with some lights (similar to the Christmas ones). This concept constructs a cozy and relaxed atmosphere and makes the Sukkah a nice place to spend time with family and friends.

Given that the sukkah is the temporary dwelling that is supposed to host the family on many occasions during the Sukkot celebration its decorating items have always a practical aspect. Thus the decorating lights in many cases are the main light source accompanying the evening dinners and night gatherings of the family.

Paper decorations

Hanging paper ornaments.
Hanging paper ornaments.

The paper decorations are also very common among the materials used in the sukkah building process. It is also an item that does not require a big investment to buy and most importantly it is very easy to be constructed by the family members who are building the sukkah.

This is also a decorating item that the younger members of the family can have significant involvement in its construction. Thus, in many cases, children put all their creativity and design paper decoration either at home or at their schools. Some beautiful decorations can derive from papercraft like paper chains, origami, as well as paper flowers and fruits.

Other ideas

It is not an exaggeration to say that the sukkah decoration process can include any potential idea in the construction of decorating items. It is really an activity where creativity and imagination have endless room to be expressed. Some more decorating ideas are the following:

Ornaments from recycled material

Old fabric, plastic bags, bottles and some keys can be used as base materials for some nice decoration like wind chimes and fabric garlands.

Religious pictures

The walls of the Sukkah can be decorated with posters including Times of the Temple of Jerusalem as well as verses of the Bible and other religious symbols.

Historical illustrations

Scenes froms Jewish history like the walls of the Land of Israel and portraits of geat Jewish leaders can also be included in the decorations.

Carpet, dishes and silverware

Given that the festive meals of Sukkot are taking place in the Sukkah many tent to put and carpet and bring nice dishes and cutlery on the table.

Flags

The Israel flag is also an element that can be observed at the walls of the Sukkah.

Parents helping children to decorate the Sukkah.
Parents helping children to decorate the Sukkah.

Sukkah: A temporarly "family-home" for a week

According to some verses of Jewish religious scrips, the beauty is a fundamental element of the Sukkot feast.

The Torah describes the etrog as the "fruit of the tree of beauty", while some other passages indicate the execution of the commandments of Sukkot in a beautiful way. The Sukkah, constructed during the festival, is a representation of the beauty of providence of God and this glorious beauty is reflected on the whole celebration.

Theese religious principals explain why the observers of Sukkot put such an effort to come up with the beautiful decorations which characterize the festivity. The decorations can be applied to different rooms of the house, the balcony, the garden and for sure the Sukkah itself.

The Sukkah is one of the most characteristics elements of Sukkot and according to the tradition is supposed to be the "home" of the family for the entire week of the festival.

Sukkah decorations is for the whole family

A typical Sukkah builded with natural materials.
© Zachi Evenor / flickr [CC BY 2.0]
A typical Sukkah builded with natural materials.

Constructing and decorating of the Sukkah, is usually a project that occupies the whole family.

The construction of this temporary flimsy structure is done with plain materials that can be found in nature and is quite simple. While the beautify efforts can make the Sukkah a really pleasant a nice place for the whole family to spend time in.

There is a wide variety of potential Sukah decorations and there is plenty of space for each family member to put his or her own personal taste on the effort to beautify the Sukkah.

The Sukkah decoration is a process that can be a very nice and creative moment for the whole family and the final result might be different from year to year. Parents encourage their children to participate and cooperate in this annual ritual that brings family and friends together.

— Read more —
Etrog (citron fruit), silver etrog box and the lulav (willow, myrtle, and palm) used in the 4 species ceremony.
What is Sukkot & why it is celebrated?
Sukkot prayers at the Western Wall of Jerusalem.
Sukkot in Israel, what to expect?
A little girl holding the elements of the four species ceremony (etrog and lulav).
Rituals & customs of Sukkot
Jewish faithful reading blessings related to the celebration of Sukkot.
«Happy Sukkot» greetings & blessings