DIY Pumpkin Candleholders for Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles Sukkah Decoration Craft)

Here's an easy craft to make to decorate for the Feast of Tabernacles or to spread Sukkot joy to a loved one...DIY pumpkin candleholders! They make for great sukkah decorations, or decor for your home, and they can also be a simple hostess gift during the fall Biblical holiday season.

They are easy to make, and kids can help to decorate them however they'd like. I wrote a simple 'Happy Sukkot' on the one in the picture, but of course you could use other Feast of Tabernacles greetings or Bible verses. You could also paint the pumpkins or decorate them with stickers if you're inclined. Here's how to make them. They really are very simple and can be done quickly!

You will need:
Mini pumpkin
Tea candle
Pen
Knife
Spoon
Marker

Break off as much of the stem as you can. This will make it easier to trace. Place a tea candle on top of the pumpkin, roughly in the middle. Trace around this with your pen (it doesn't have to be exact - but it will give you an idea of where to cut). Then carefully cut around this circle, and remove the pumpkin skin so that you're left with a small crater. Clean any seeds or debris out with the spoon. See if the tea candle fits inside. If it doesn't, use the spoon (or knife, if necessary) to scrape out more pumpkin until the cavity can hold the tea candle.

Insert the candle into the pumpkin. I take the candles out of the thin tin cups they come in and insert just the wax part into the pumpkin. That way it can simply be tossed into a fire or compost bin after being lit and used up.

Discard or compost the stem and any scrapings of pumpkin innards.

Use markers to write, "Happy Sukkot," or similar festive greetings, on the outside of the pumpkin. Other ideas you could write include:

Happy Tabernacles!
He is with us.
Welcome to our sukkah.
Sukkot: it's in tents.
I am coming to dwell among you. -Zechariah 2:10

These will keep for a few days in cooler weather. If it's warm in your area, you can also store them in the fridge before use to extend their shelf life a bit. They are a simple decoration for the Feast of Tabernacles and also make a nice gift for friends celebrating the Biblical holidays. If the cutting is done ahead of time, you can have kids add the candles and decorate the pumpkins as a craft for Bible school or as part of a Sukkot gathering activity.

I made these for Tabernacles but they can also be used to decorate for the Feast of Trumpets or Yom Kippur!

More posts like this:
Everything You Should Know about the Feast of Tabernacles
Eight Day of Activities for the Feast of Tabernacles
Sukkot Scavenger Hunt Game!

Sukkot Scavenger Hunt Game (Feast of Tabernacles Kids Activity Idea)

Get excited for an outdoor Bible scavenger hunt - Sukkot edition!

Unlike typical scavenger hunts that just tell you what to go find, kids (or grown ups!) are given clues from Scripture that will lead them to the appropriate item they should collect. The answers to the clues might be something they would know immediately, or they might need to flip open their Bible to find out! 

This scavenger hunt is meant to be done outdoors, at a campground or other place the Feast of Tabernacles is being celebrated. Your backyard works too! There are many different ways this game can be played - solo, as a group, or split into any number of teams. You can set a certain amount of time and see who finds the most items or see how long it takes to find everything. Kids can gather physical items, or you could have them draw pictures of what they find.

Sukkot Scavenger Hunt

You will need:
The list of clues
The list with the answers
Small bag to carry the items (plastic grocery sack or similar sized tote)
A few small jars or baggies to collect certain items

On the answer key I've included some talking points. These are very optional, but this game can be an opportunity for kids to learn more about the meaning of this holiday of the Feast of Tabernacles. You can discuss these as you go around looking for the items, or if you have the kids go on their own you can talk about these things when they return to show you what they collected. Don't feel like you necessarily need to cover every single point either. Feel free to go in a different direction from what I have suggested as well.

These clues could also be reworked into a treasure hunt game! Write out each clue that you want to use separately and then hide the next clue in the appropriate spot. The last clue leads to some sort of prize. Or you could turn it into a trivia game. However you play, I hope you have fun!

Click here to download the scavenger hunt clues for players.

Click here to download the clues with the answers and talking points. 

More ideas for fall feast fun:

Easy Fall Biblical Holiday Crafts for Kids
DIY Happy Sukkot Fall Leaf Garland
Eight Days of Activities for the Feast of Tabernacles

Turtle Lane Pottery Giveaway!

The Hebrew holidays are in full swing and you can definitely feel the buzz of excitement! It's been great to hear from so many people who grow more and more excited to celebrate each festival of YHWH. It's also been amazing to hear from many people who are learning about the feasts and celebrating them for the first time!

I'm excited to keep the festivities going with another giveaway courtesy of Turtle Lane Pottery! Corinne has generously provided a beautiful handmade Shalom mug for one winner. 

You may remember Turtle Lane Pottery from our mezuzzah giveaway last summer. One reader contacted me after purchasing a few of Corinne's pieces and told me how excited she was to now have handmade family heirlooms that are centered on our faith to pass down to her kids. I love that! It is just so special to have things that point to the Hebrew faith, whether that's a menorah, a mezzuzah, a special dish for Shabbat, or what have you.

I have a few things that have been passed down to me by family members and I love them because they are both pretty and useful but also because of the memories I have that go with them. Do you have anything like that? A rolling pin from your grandmother is handy in the kitchen but made extra special by remembering the cookies you rolled out with her. How much more is that meaning compounded by adding faith in with it? 

I'm so happy that artisans like Turtle Lane are making truly heirloom pieces that go with our faith. What will your family one day look back and treasure? The mezzuzah they saw every time they left the house, or the menorah that was lit to celebrate the feasts?

A few things I love about this mug:
-It's handmade, so you're getting something one-of-a-kind. That's so much more special to me than mass productions from an assembly line.
-The handle! This is comfortable in the hand and balances naturally. Do you ever pick up mugs that are cute but awkward to hold? You won't have that problem here.
-The reminder for peace. What a great reminder of the Messiah's words, "Peace be still." Shalom is a reminder of the wholeness and health found in YHWH.

Can't you just imagine sitting fireside during Sukkot, listening to Bible stories, sipping hot apple cider out of this mug? Or maybe one day your kids could have this mug and remember that it's the one you used every Shabbat? Or what if seeing this was the spark that a friend needs to become interested in the Hebrew faith? So many possibilities!

I want to thank Corinne from Turtle Lane for providing us with another special giveaway! The deadline to enter is September 20 at midnight. Open to US and international readers. Get entered below and be sure to let us know what Turtle Lane item you would love to have for the fall feasts! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Feast of Trumpets Smoothie Bowls: Fun and Delicious Way to Celebrate Yom Teruah

Looking for a fun and festive way to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets? This recipe is such a fun DIY project to make for Yom Teruah or to teach kids about this special Biblical holiday in a way that's really engaging! Smoothie bowls are healthy and easy to make, and you can of course customize it to suit your preferences and the ingredients you have on hand. It can easily be made gluten free, vegan, or whatever else you may need. I used an ice cream cone as a shofar which makes it perfect for the Feast of Trumpets. The blue backdrop and lots of white and yellow toppings symbolize the search for the new moon, which marked the holiday in the Bible. Celebrate Trumpets in a fun way this year!

You can use any smoothie or smoothie bowl recipe. I wanted mine to look blue since there is such an emphasis on looking for the new moon in the night sky for the Feast of Trumpets. I used blueberries and yogurt, but blackberries or elderberries or acai or blue majik spirulina could also make a blue smoothie. You can easily use whatever you like or have handy, and it's simple to adjust these for any dietary preferences or allergies. 



Night Sky Smoothie:
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 cups yogurt
1 tablespoon spirulina powder
1 tablespoon honey (or to taste for sweetness)

Put your blueberries in the blender and run the ice crushing setting for 30 seconds or so to break up the berries. This makes it easier to smoothly blend everything. (If you don't have this setting on your blender let them thaw for a few minutes before blending everything together.) Once your berries are mostly in small pieces, add the yogurt, spirulina powder, and honey and blend until smooth.

The spirulina is optional but it gives you a nutritional boost and also is responsible for the dark shade of blue. Without it the combination was more of a light purple. 

Once your smoothie is blended, pour it into bowls and decorate.

To decorate I used:

Ice cream cones for shofars (use gluten free if necessary)
Blueberries
Calendula flowers
Peaches
Sliced apples
Melon
Chia seeds
Sesame seeds
Coconut flakes
Menorah cupcake toppers (from here)

You could use any fruit or berry, seeds, nuts, or edible flower. Granola or cereal works here, and so do sprinkles or chocolate. You can use cookie cutters to make fun shapes out of apple slices. A ten commandment gummie would be a great touch too. It's easy to make these exactly to your liking and everyone can decorate their own bowl. If you don't mind a thinner smoothie base, you can even make the smoothie the day before and keep it in the fridge, along with sliced fruit for topping.

I hope you have fun making these smoothie bowls!

More posts on the Feast of Trumpets:

The Beginner's Guide to the Feast of Trumpets
Music and Moonlight Yom Teruah Celebration
DIY Noisemaker Craft for the Feast of Trumpets

Sukkah Inspiration

This year pushed Sukkos style to the next level! So many gorgeous sukkahs showed up in my inbox this year and I wanted to share a few. Thanks to everyone that sent their photos to me, it's an absolute joy to see YHWH's festivals being celebrated worldwide. I would be thrilled to celebrate Sukkot in any of these!

From @coralmesahomeschool

From @taliacarbis of The Climbing Tree

From @taliacarbis of The Climbing Tree

From @shiveringstarsfarm

From @elysamary

From @chalkontheboard

From @shasse714

From @shasse714

From @meycarbo

#sukkahgoals for sure!

For more inspiration check out last year's favorite sukkahs or my sukkah.

Yom Teruah Printable Card

The first of the Fall Feasts will be here in just a few days! Either this Sunday or Monday evening as we wait to see the new moon. I hope you are going to celebrate this Festival of YHWH. A couple of you sent me projects you're working on inspired by Music & Moonlight party from a few posts back, and I can't wait to see more pictures!

I put together a printable card you can download to wish someone in your life a joyful Yom Teruah! Just print off, fold in half width wise, and then fold width-wise again. This printed best for me when the 'fit picture to frame' option was selected in the normal printing preferences box in Windows. I used a thin type of card stock paper to make this card a little more sturdy, but regular paper will do the job as well.

Download my printable Yom Teruah card here. It is free for your personal use.

Have a very happy Feast of Trumpets! Make a joyful noise!