20 Fun Ideas for the Fall Feasts

October is going to be a busy time for those of us celebrating the Feasts of YHWH. Whether you are new to the festivals or seasoned Methuselah I'm sharing some great ideas to make them extra special this year.

If you're staying at home you'll want to make a sukkah, like this one from Chai and Life.

Or you could go camping...

Sukkot foliage like palm leaves make a great table runner.
From Sugar & Cloth.

You could set this pretty table. From Sugar & Cloth.

You'll be outside a lot so be prepared for the weather with this DIY lemon (or etrog!) umbrella.

From Studio DIY.

Wear this shirt.

From Mt. Tabor Tees.

Order these cookies or get cutters to make your own version.

Make DIY stained 'glass' with your kids to teach them about the feasts.

From The Climbing Tree.

Make these easy palm leaf sticks to stir your Sukkot drinks.

From The Merry Thought.

Have friends over for a potluck dinner in your sukkah.

From Chai and Home.

How good does this apple stuffed challah look?

From Torah Sisters Magazine.

Stay warm with this DIY constellation scarf.
From A Beautiful Mess.

Share this Yom Teruah printable with a friend.

Keep the kiddos entertained with finger puppets, especially handy on Yom Kippur.

Spend time under the stars.
From The Climbing Tree.

 Get a better idea what you're looking at with this constellation map.

From Mr. Printables.

Decorate with letter balloons.

Transform any dessert with this Chag Sameach topper.
From Chai and Home.

Take a virtual tour of the Sukkah PDX exhibit from the Oregon Jewish Museum.

Take notes from this gorgeous party. Can you say #sukkahgoals?

From Love Sarah Schneider.

How will you be celebrating?

PS - I'm posting late this week so Shabbat shalom!

Looking Ahead To The Fall Feasts

This is your reminder that the Fall Feasts of YHWH will be here soon! Summer is definitely my favorite weather but I do find it easier to let go of as I look forward to celebrating the festivals. Maybe that's not an accident? :) For those of us who follow the traditional calendar we still have some time, but now is our chance to prepare by taking time off work and planning how you are going to celebrate.

Yom Teruah: 
In Scripture this is a one day holiday, but since it is the only feast to fall on a new moon we aren't positive about when it will land. Therefore, this is traditionally observed on two days.
Starting in the evening on October 2 and going through sundown on October 4. Yom Teruah is a no work day.

Yom Kippur:
This is a no work day and a fast day. October 11 in the evening until October 12 at sundown.

Sukkot:
Starts the evening of October 16 and goes through October 24th at sundown. Hopefully you can free yourself up to celebrate as much as possible but the only mandatory no work days are the evening of October 16 until sundown the 17th, then October 23 in the evening until sundown the 24th. Since this is a camp out festival you will want to start thinking about what you are going to do for a sukkah this year.

Traditionally the day after Sukkot is a celebration known as Simchat Torah, where the final Torah portion of the cycle is read. This is a time of great joy, but this day is not found in Scripture. 

If you want a printable download of the dates you can find it here. 

A Watercolor Daffodil Seder

Chag sameach! I hope you have spent the past days celebrating in the Spring Festivals - Passover, The Feast of Matzah, and First Fruits. We had an especially lovely Seder meal this year and I wanted to share some photos.

Here is this year's one page haggadah! 

Daffodils are in full bloom here in the Midwest. They made gorgeous (and free) centerpieces.

I realize these aren't all technically daffodils.

We also use these super fun coasters from Matanote.

The Seder plate while this is traditional and not required by Scripture, describing the Besorah in seven courses is a beautiful portrayal of the story.

The sandwich!

Reading, "The Story of Yisrael."

This is our new favorite Pesach menu, taken from the Seder plate. We had:

Roasted Lamb

Einkorn Matzah

Tabbouli

Romaine Salad with Tahini Dressing

Veggies with Hummus

Hard-boiled Eggs

Baked Charoseth

Dessert was mini pavlovas, with chocolate coconut cream, and berries.

Happy Feast of Unleavened Bread!

Hebrew Holiday Calendar Dates + Printable

The definition of Hebrew is 'one who has crossed over to the other side.' I think that's pretty fitting for the Feast days of YHWH. They're not exactly mainstream. They're about as opposite as possible from that. You don't celebrate the Feasts by accident. It takes deliberate intent and action to leave behind the celebrations of our culture. To cross over. Which is why I've made this printable. Take it and pencil it in on your calendar now, put in for vacation time now. You won't be sorry. It really is a privilege and joy to celebrate YHWH's festivals.

These are the traditional dates for the Feasts this year, used by most Messianic and Jewish groups. There is a lot of debate over how this mashes up with the Gregorian calendar so I can't say for certain that these dates are absolutely correct. The second set is inspired by teachings out of Torah to the Tribes. Study for yourself and prayerfully consider when to celebrate the Festivals of YHWH, and then do what you need to be able to celebrate by taking off work, rearranging vacation plans, etc. I don't know if either set is flawless, but we can be joyful that we are taking steps to honor the Word and keep the commanded Feast days.

So how does this work?

For the first set of dates, days start at sundown. Meaning Sukkot starts the evening of October 16 and ends at sundown on October 24.

You will also want to keep in mind that work is not permitted on certain days during the Festivals, similar to a special Shabbat. We should honor YHWH by planning ahead to be free from our professional and home duties on those days.

Passover No Work Days:
April 22 - April 24
April 29 - 30
Work is permitted only April 25 - 28.

Shavuot No Work Days:
June 11 - June 12

Yom Teruah No Work Days:
October 2 - October 3

Yom Kippur No Work Days:
October 11 - October 12

Sukkot No Work Days:
October 16 - October 17
October 23 - October 24

(Again, starting the evening of the first date, and ending the evening of the second date.)

The Torah to the Tribes dates in the second set are morning to morning, with the exception of Yom Kippur, which Scripture says is evening to evening.

Click below to download!

Printable calendar in white
Printable calendar in orange
Torah to the Tribes in white
Torah to the Tribes in orange

These are completely free for your personal use.