Sukkoth

Booths in front of restaurants

The feast of Tabernacles or Sukkoth just started as the sun set this evening. Houses and restaurants have been rushing to put up huts or booths ('tabernacles") so that families and patrons can eat in them. That's the jewish law ... all meals must be taken in these booths. Not that everyone jew will observe this ... but the alternative is there.

Sukkoth is actually an agricultural feast ... the harvest of the autumn fruit. Booths were built in the fields to protect the harvested fruit and wheat from autumn dew that could destroy it. But in the Torah this became a religious feast. In many of these booths, flowers and fruit are hung inside. Others choose to decorate it with tinsel. It's a happy feast. Grapes are harvested and new wine is made. Old wine is drunk. Sukkoth always falls on the full moon and coincides with the chinese mid-autumn festival. But since this year is a leap year in the jewish calendar, where one extra month is added, Sukkoth now falls one month after the mid-autumn festival.

Decorating inside a booth

As can be expected, military presence is high all around the country. But it's noticeable that stop-and-check procedures have lessened. That lightens the tension a lot with the arab community. Nevertheless hawkers are not allowed to sell in the plaza and staircase of Damascus Gate as this would impede the movement of soldiers.

My timetable is now getting full each week as school has started. I teach about 10 hours a week ... and this includes having to travel from 1 to 2 kms each time. It's all walking uphill though. I hope I'm strong enough because the fainting spells are very frequent. After 15 minutes of walking I need to stop and rest because I cannot breathe due to the asthma. That cuts off oxygen to my brain so I have blackouts ... which is dangerous when I'm walking in the streets. I not only could be hurt by the fall but I will very probably be robbed by passersby. That's why I prefer to go out with someone else.

The Chinese sisters want you to know that they are praying for you all everyday ... and offering a mass for your intentions once a month.