First day of Sukkot in Australia
Quick Facts
The first day of Sukkot marks the start of the Sukkot festival for Jewish communities in Australia.Name
First day of SukkotFirst day of Sukkot 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009First day of Sukkot 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010Note: Many Jewish holidays begin at sundown the day before the date specified for the holiday.
See list of observations below
A lemon-like fruit found on a citron tree is one of the Sukkot symbols. ©iStockphoto.com/sterling_photo
What do people do?
Many Jewish Australians build a temporary booth known as the sukkah before the start of the Sukkot period, which lasts for about seven days. The sukkah is a temporary dwelling that reminds people about God’s protection over those who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, a story described in the Torah. Some Australian Jewish businesses sell products such as portable sukkahs, decoration packs for sukkahs, and modular sukkahs.
The first day of Sukkot is kept like the Sabbath so some Jewish Australians may observe work restrictions. The rest of the days during the Sukkot period are days when work is permitted. Many Jewish people in Australia also make symbolic use of four kinds of plants known as the “four species”, which are said to represent Israel, the final harvest and the land’s fertility. Some Jewish student societies at universities hold activities that feature music, free fruit, and a sukkah to commemorate Sukkot.
Public life
The first day of Sukkot is a not a nationwide public holiday in Australia. However, many Jewish businesses, schools and organizations may be closed or offer a reduced level of service.
Background
The Sukkot period is a time to remember the Jewish people’s wandering in the desert for 40 years following their exodus from Egypt, according to Jewish teachings. It is also a time to celebrate the grape harvest. Some sources claim that Sukkot lasts for about seven days while others state that 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 and the day after is called Simchat Torah.
Symbols
An important Sukkot symbol is the sukkah. This is a temporary structure with a roof made of sechach or s'chach, which is raw, unfinished plant material, such as palm branches, bamboo poles, reeds or even corn stalks.
The “four species” are also important symbols of Sukkot and represent the blessings of nature. These are lulav (a green, closed frond of a date palm tree), hadass (twigs and leaves from a myrtle tree), aravah (twigs and leaves from a willow tree) and etrog (a lemon-like fruit of the citron tree).
About First day of Sukkot in other countries
Read more about First day of Sukkot.First day of Sukkot Observances
Note: Many Jewish holidays begin at sundown the day before the date specified for the holiday.| Weekday | Date | Year | Name | Holiday type | Where it is observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu | Sep 25 | 1980 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Tue | Oct 13 | 1981 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Oct 2 | 1982 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Sep 22 | 1983 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Oct 11 | 1984 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Sep 30 | 1985 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Oct 18 | 1986 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Oct 8 | 1987 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Sep 26 | 1988 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Oct 14 | 1989 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Oct 4 | 1990 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Sep 23 | 1991 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Oct 12 | 1992 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Sep 30 | 1993 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Tue | Sep 20 | 1994 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Oct 9 | 1995 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Sep 28 | 1996 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Oct 16 | 1997 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Oct 5 | 1998 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Sep 25 | 1999 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Oct 14 | 2000 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Tue | Oct 2 | 2001 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Sep 21 | 2002 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Oct 11 | 2003 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Sep 30 | 2004 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Tue | Oct 18 | 2005 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Oct 7 | 2006 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Sep 27 | 2007 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Tue | Oct 14 | 2008 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Oct 3 | 2009 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Sep 23 | 2010 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Oct 13 | 2011 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Oct 1 | 2012 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Sep 19 | 2013 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Oct 9 | 2014 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Sep 28 | 2015 | First day of Sukkot | Jewish holiday |
Related holidays
- Last day of Sukkot–Friday, October 9, 2009
- Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah–Saturday, October 10, 2009
Other holidays in October 2009 in Australia
- Feast of St Francis of Assisi (Sunday, October 4, 2009)
- Labour Day (Monday, October 5, 2009)
- Labour Day (Monday, October 5, 2009)
- Last day of Sukkot (Friday, October 9, 2009)
- Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah (Saturday, October 10, 2009)
- Diwali/Deepavali (Saturday, October 17, 2009)
- Halloween (Saturday, October 31, 2009)
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