So my parents don't know anything about Judaism really - and the High Holy Days are going to start on Wednesday. There are things they are curious about like the family celebrations - the "well, what do you actually DO?" part of it outside the shul walls. It should be interesting.
Rosh Hashanah is easy enough really - I just have to make dinner for them and explain what's going on. Challah, soup, chicken, veg and some apple tarts - not a big deal.
Yom Kippur - I don't have to make anything really, it's a fast day.
Services I do for myself in my room, that's not something they really want to learn about or deal with personally.
Sukkot on the other hand - well that's a little more complicated.
Sukkot is the "feast of tabernacles" - the Jewish harvest festival and a holy festival remembering the exodus from Egypt - because they all in some way or another remember the exodus from Egypt.
But Sukkot is special because it actually requires you to be happy during the festival of 8 days - and that you should "dwell" in a sukkah or booth during the holiday. I'm building one in the back garden here at my parents house on the patio.
There are lots of rules regarding the building of a sukkah, but primarily it should have at least 3 walls, it should have a roof of natural plant materials that are loose (not growing), there should be shade and sunlight - and the rain should be able to get in.
Naturally there are all kinds of Jewish businesses offering prefab sukkahs, sukkah kits and kosher mats for the roof going crazy right now. I've always preferred the DIY build a fort approach - it's more fun and closer to a tent - the original housing we preferred back in the day.
In addition to the fort-y awesomeness there is the shrubbery. This is not just a Monty Python reference - we really do have a separate commandment to take up the arba minim - the four species - and ritually shake them during Sukkot. These two things together (forts and shrubbery) are why it's my favourite holiday.
Palm, willow, myrtle and a citrus fruit known as an etrog are all used in a special ritual where they are taken up and represent the Jewish people (each material representing a different personality) and shaken together to accent the Kingship of G-d over the Jewish people. It's both silly looking and extremely serious. It is done every day except Shabbos - and if you follow the minhag of Rabbi David Bar-Hiyam - on Shabbos as well.
During the holiday one should spend as much time as possible in the Sukkah, reading, relaxing, learning, for many people even sleeping - and all meals should be taken in the sukkah as well. The only reason you should go inside during meals is due to bad weather - so I'm hoping that the weather will stay nice.
I have a frame, I need to get some fabric for walls and materials for the roof - called s'chagh - and order my arba minim. This will be the biggest personal sukkah I've ever had with a real table, 4 chairs, decorations, lights, etc - I have a small one for the boat, but nothing like this. We already have most of these things, the only real outlay will be the walls and the four species - and I've been shopping around as there is no local place to order through.
I'm really excited about this - partly because yay Sukkot and partly because I'm not getting the usual OMG JEW STUFF pushback from my parents over the holidays. They really don't know what they're in for I suppose, but I think they are curious about it and this is a really fun time and space to share it in.
So on to the forts and shrubbery shaking - the High Holy days are almost here.