the Jewish nation, Cestius Gallus slew fifty persons at Lydda during the Festival of Tabernacles. Also, worship of Jehovah and festival observations were neglected at times, especially under the reigns of the unfaithful kings.

None of the male attenders were to come emptyhanded but with a gift “in proportion to the blessing of Jehovah your God that he has given you.” (Deut. 16:16, 17) Also, at Jerusalem the ‘second’ tenth part (in contrast with that given to maintain the Levites [Num. 18:26, 27]) of the current year’s grain, wine and oil, and the firstborn of the herd and flock were to be eaten, sharing with the Levites. However, in case the journey to the festival place was too far, the Law provided that such goods could be turned into money; then this money could be used to defray expenses. (Deut. 14:22-27) These occasions were opportunities for demonstrating allegiance to Jehovah and were to be celebrated with joy, even extending to the alien resident, the fatherless boy and the widow. (Deut. 16:11, 14) This was providing, of course, that the males among such alien residents were circumcised worshipers of Jehovah. (Ex. 12:48, 49) Special sacrifices were always offered in addition to the daily offerings, and while the burnt offerings and the communion sacrifices were made, trumpets were blown.—Num. 10:10.

Just before the building of the temple the priesthood was reorganized by King David, who arranged for the immense staff of hundreds of Aaronic priests and thousands of Levitical assistants to be divided into twenty-four divisions. (1 Chron. chap. 24) Each division of trained workers later served twice each year at the temple, a week at a time, the necessary arrangements being made by the head of the paternal house. Second Chronicles 5:11 indicates that the twenty-four divisions of priests all served together at the dedication of the temple, which took place during the Festival of Booths or of Tabernacles. (1 Ki. 8:2; Lev. 23:34) Edersheim says that on festival days any priest was welcome to come up and assist in the temple service, but during the Festival of Tabernacles (or Booths) all twenty-four divisions were required to be in attendance.—The Temple, 1874, p. 66.

A tremendous amount of work fell on the priests and Levites and the Nethinim serving with them during these festival occasions. An example of the work they did is indicated in the description of the Festival of Unfermented Cakes held by King Hezekiah after he had cleansed the temple, which celebration, on this occasion, was extended for another seven days. The account states that Hezekiah himself contributed for sacrifice a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the princes a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep. (2 Chron. 30:21-24) The historian Josephus gives some insight into the vast labor force required at one such festival held in the days of Roman Emperor Nero. According to Josephus, it was found that “the number of sacrifices was two hundred and fifty-six thousand five hundred; which, upon the allowance of no more than ten that feast together, amounts to [two million, five hundred and sixty-five thousand] persons that were pure and holy.”—Wars of the Jews, Book VI, chap. IX, par. 3 and ftn.

Certain days of these festivals were solemn assemblies or holy conventions, sabbaths, and, similar to the weekly sabbaths, required a complete cessation of ordinary business. No secular work at all was to be done. An exception to the regular sabbath arrangement is that work was permitted in connection with the preparation for the festival observances, such as preparing of food, unlawful on the weekly sabbath days. (Ex. 12:16) A distinction exists in this respect between “holy conventions” of the festivals and the regular weekly sabbaths (and the sabbath on the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement, a time of fasting), on which days no work whatsoever was allowed, not even the lighting of a fire “in any of your dwelling places.” Compare Leviticus 23:3 and 26-32 with verses 7, 8, 21, 24, 25, 35, 36, and Exodus 35:2, 3.

IMPORTANCE OF FESTIVALS IN THE LIFE OF ISRAEL

Festivals played a very important part in the national life of the Israelites. While they were still in Egyptian bondage, Moses told Pharaoh that the reasons for demanding that the Israelites and their livestock be allowed to leave Egypt was that “we have a festival to Jehovah.” (Ex. 10:9) The Law covenant incorporated many detailed instructions regarding the observance of festivals. (Ex. 34:18-24; Lev. 23:1-44; Deut. 16:1-17) In keeping with God’s commands, the festival sabbaths helped all the attenders to keep their minds on the word of God and not to become so involved in their personal affairs that they would forget the more important spiritual aspect of their daily life. Festival sabbaths also reminded them that they were a people for Jehovah’s name. Traveling to and from the festive gatherings would naturally give much opportunity to talk about the goodness of their God and the blessings they were daily and seasonally enjoying. The festivals afforded time and opportunity for meditation, association and discussion of Jehovah’s law. They broadened knowledge of the God-given land, increased understanding and neighbor love among the Israelites and promoted unity and clean worship. The festivals were occasions of happiness. The minds of the attenders were filled with God’s thoughts and ways, and all who participated in sincerity received a rich spiritual blessing. Consider, for example, the blessing to thousands who attended the Festival of Pentecost at Jerusalem in 33 C.E.—Acts 2:1-47.

The festivals symbolized happiness to the Jews. Before the captivity to Babylon, when the nation in general had lost sight of the true spiritual purpose of the festivals, the prophets Hosea and Amos linked the coming foretold desolation of Jerusalem with the cessation of these joyous and happy observances, or the turning of them into occasions of mourning. (Hos. 2:11; Amos 8:10) After Jerusalem’s fall Jeremiah lamented that “the ways of Zion are mourning, because there are none coming to the festival.” Festival and sabbath were now “forgotten.” (Lam. 1:4; 2:6) Isaiah described in advance the happy condition of the returned exiles from Babylonian captivity in 537 B.C.E., saying: “You people will come to have a song like that in the night that one sanctifies oneself for a festival.” (Isa. 30:29) However, it was not long after their restoration to Palestine that they again corrupted Jehovah’s festivals, so that, through the prophet Malachi, God warned the priests that the dung of their festivals would be scattered upon their faces.—Mal. 2:1-3.

The writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures make several references and allusions to the festivals, sometimes giving them a happy, symbolic and prophetic application to Christians. However, the keeping of these festivals in a literal way was not enjoined upon Christians.—Col. 2:16, 17; see the festivals under individual names.

FESTIVAL OF BOOTHS

Known also as the FESTIVAL OF INGATHERING or of Tabernacles, it is called the “festival of Jehovah” at Leviticus 23:39. The instructions on its observation are found at Leviticus 23:34-43, Numbers 29:12-38 and Deuteronomy 16:13-15. The festival occupied the days of Ethanim 15-21, with a solemn assembly or sabbath on the twenty-second. Ethanim (Tishri; September-October) was originally the first month of the Jewish calendar, but after the exodus from Egypt it became the seventh month of the sacred year, since Abib (Nisan; March-April), formerly the seventh month, was made the first month. (Ex. 12:2) The Festival of Booths celebrated the ingathering of the fruits of the ground, the grain and the wine, “the produce of the land.” (Lev. 23:39) It is referred to as “the festival of ingathering at the turn of the year.” The sabbath on the eighth day marked a solemn close to the year’s cycle of festivals.—Ex. 34:22; Lev. 23:34-38.

The Festival of Booths actually marked the end of the agricultural year for Israel. It was, therefore, a time of rejoicing and thanksgiving for all the blessings Jehovah had given in the fruitage of all their crops. Also, the Day of Atonement having been observed just five days earlier, the people would have a sense of peace with Jehovah. While only the males were obligated to attend, whole families came. They were required to dwell in booths for the seven days of the festival. Usually one booth served for each family. (Ex. 34:23; Lev. 23:42) These were erected in the courts of the houses, on the roofs of the dwellings and in the courts of the temple, in the public squares and on roads within a sabbath-day’s journey of the city. (Neh. 8:16) The Israelites were to use “the fruit of splendid trees,” palm fronds, boughs of branchy trees and poplars. (Lev. 23:40) In the days of Ezra, olive and oil-tree leaves and myrtle (very fragrant) and palm leaves, as well as the branches of other trees, were used to build these temporary structures. The fact that all would dwell in booths, even eating their meals in them during the seven days, and that they were all made of the same materials taken from the hills and valleys of the country, by both rich and poor alike, would emphasize the equality of all in relation to the festival.

On the day before the festival, Ethanim 14, most, if not all the pilgrims, had arrived in Jerusalem. The fourteenth was the day of preparation, unless that day happened to be a weekly sabbath day, in which case preparations could be made earlier. The time of all was busily occupied in constructing the booths, in purification and in caring for the offerings each one had brought, as well as in joyful fellowship. The city of Jerusalem and surroundings provided a unique and picturesque appearance, with the booths located all over the town and in the roads and gardens around Jerusalem. Adding to the festive atmosphere was the colorful beauty of the fruits and the leaves, along with the fragrance of the myrtles. Everyone was in anticipation, awaiting the sound of the trumpet blast from the elevated location of the temple in the early autumn evening, announcing the advent of the festival.

During this festival the number of sacrifices offered was greater than at any other festival of the year. The national sacrifice, starting with thirteen bulls on the first day and diminishing one each day, totaled seventy bulls sacrificed, besides 119 lambs, rams and goats, and, in addition, the grain and wine offerings. During the week thousands of individual offerings would also be made by the attenders. (Num. 29:12-34, 39) On the eighth day, on which no laborious work could be done, a bull, a ram and seven male lambs a year old were presented as a burnt offering, along with grain and drink offerings and a goat as a sin offering. (Num. 29:35-38) During the festival the firstfruits of later crops of the year were also offered, for Pentecost, four months earlier, had marked the completion of the early harvest.

In sabbath years the Law was read to all the people during the festival. (Deut. 31:10-13) It is likely that the first of the twenty-four divisions of priests established by David began to serve at the temple after the Festival of Booths, inasmuch as the temple built by Solomon was inaugurated at the time of this festival in 1027 B.C.E.—1 Ki. 6:37, 38; 1 Chron. 24:1-18; 2 Chron. 5:3; 7:7-10.

The distinguishing mark of the Festival of Booths, the primary nature of it, was joyful thanksgiving. Jehovah’s desire was that his people should rejoice in him. “You must rejoice before Jehovah your God.” (Lev. 23:40) It was a festival of thanksgiving for the ingathering, especially in the fact that, not only the grain was now gathered in, but also the oil and the wine, which contributed much to the enjoyment of life. During this festival the Israelites could meditate in their hearts upon the fact that their prosperity and abundance of fine things did not come through their own power. No, it was the care of Jehovah their God for them that brought them into this prosperity. They were to think deeply upon these things, for fear, as Moses had said, that “your heart may indeed be lifted up and you may indeed forget Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves.” Moses also declared: “And you must remember Jehovah your God, because he is the giver of power to you to make wealth; in order to carry out his covenant that he swore to your forefathers, as at this day.”—Deut. 8:14, 18.

Israel was commanded to live for one week in booths, “in order that your generations may know that it was in the booths that I made the sons of Israel to dwell when I was bringing them out of the land of Egypt. I am Jehovah your God.” (Lev. 23:42, 43) They could recall with joy and thankfulness God’s care for them in the wilderness when they were provided shelter by Jehovah, “who caused you to walk through the great and fear-inspiring wilderness, with poisonous serpents and scorpions and with thirsty ground that has no water; who brought forth water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you with manna in the wilderness, which your fathers had not known.” (Deut. 8:15, 16) This would give them reason to rejoice over God’s continually increasing care and bounty toward them.

FEATURES ADDED LATER

A custom that came to be practiced later, possibly alluded to in the Christian Greek Scriptures (John 7:37, 38) but not in the Hebrew Scriptures, was the drawing of water from the pool of Siloam and pouring it, along with wine, on the altar at the time of the morning sacrifice. According to most authorities, this occurred on seven days of the festival but not on the eighth. The priest would go to the pool of Siloam with a golden pitcher (except on the opening day of the festival, a sabbath, when the water was taken from a golden vessel in the temple, to which it had been carried from Siloam on the preceding day). He would time himself so as to return from Siloam with the water just as the priests in the temple were ready to lay the pieces of the sacrifice on the altar. As he entered by the Water Gate he was announced by a threefold blast from the priests’ trumpets. The water was then poured out into a basin leading to the base of the altar, at the same time that wine was being poured into a basin. Then the temple music accompanied the singing of the Hallel (Psalms 113-118), during which time the worshipers waved their palm branches toward the altar. This ceremony was understood as reminding the Israelites of God’s having provided water out of a rock in the wilderness and was a petition to God to provide rain for the next year’s crops, some of which were soon to be sown.—Ex. 17:6; Num. 20:8-11; Deut. 8:15.

Another ceremony somewhat similar was that each day of the seven days of the festival the priests, in procession, would walk around the altar, singing, “Ah now, Jehovah, do save, please! Ah, now, Jehovah, do grant success, please!” (Ps. 118:25) On the seventh day, however, they made the circuit seven times.

According to rabbinical sources, there was also another outstanding feature of this festival that, like the bringing in of the water of Siloam, was carried out in the time when Jesus was on earth. This ceremony began at the close of the fifteenth of Tishri, the first day of the festival, actually in the beginning of the sixteenth, the festival’s second day, and was carried on for the five succeeding nights. Preparations were made in the Court of the Women. Four great golden lampstands stood in the court, each having four golden bowls. Four youths of priestly descent would climb ladders with large pitchers of oil, filling the bowls. The old clothing of the priests was used as wicks for the lamps. Jewish writers say these lamps made a brilliant light that could be seen at a considerable distance, lighting up the courts of the