(JTA) — It’s still Sukkot, the weeklong harvest holiday that Jews celebrate in self-made huts, or sukkahs in Hebrew (Sukkot is the Hebrew plural of sukkah).
The sukkah represents “the huts in which the Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after escaping from slavery in Egypt” — and, more symbolically, vulnerability and gratitude in a sometimes dangerous world.
Building a sukkah is quite a feat, even if you buy one in pieces that you just have to put together. The process can take hours, and the result is not always glamorous. But eating meals under a thatched roof, with the blue sky or shining stars peeking through, is quite the reward (if the weather is nice, of course).
While roaming Instagram for some Sukkot inspiration, we found a wide array of original sukkahs. Here is a selection of our favorites, ranging from the quirky, to the funny, to the absolutely stunning:
Don’t have space for a sukkah? Just make one out of Legos. Don’t forget to invite Chewbacca for a Sukkot meal.
We should all be lucky enough to celebrate Sukkot in beautiful Tulum, Mexico.
WeWork has built a public shared office space in a sukkah in Jerusalem. It includes free WiFi access, a lounge area and two conference rooms, as well as a barista, a bartender, a DJ in the evenings and yoga classes. We wish our office space was this luxurious.
This mirror sukkah comes from Dallas, Texas, and was built for “The Sukkah Project” competition. The mirrors are “arranged in a way that allows the observer to look at reflections from different realities,” according to Instagram used @talisnow.
We love this colorful sukkah in Herzliya Pituach, Israel.
Last year, we wrote about a panoramic sukkah that makes you feel like you’re in Jerusalem. This sukkah appears to take you directly to the Western Wall, with high definition printed backgrounds.
Forget about paper chains! This vibrant sukkah in Los Angeles has paper lanterns instead.
These beautiful and original sukkahs can be found in Capitol Park in Detroit.
We’ve never seen a sukkah quite like this Boho sukkah in Surfside, Florida.
Going from Boho to psychedelic, the world’s first magnetic tile sukkah can be found in Millburn, New Jersey.
This sukkah from chef Chaya Lichtenstein is a real-life secret garden.
This sukkah can be found in the middle of a lake in Falls Village, Connecticut. How cool is that?!
