Hanukkah

Starts 25th day of Kislev on Hebrew Calender

"Put on your yarmulke, it's time for Hanukkah, so much funnaka to celebrate Hanukkah!" Most people are familiar with Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song, but not everyone is as familiar with why Hanukkah is celebrated (especially those who aren't Jewish!). Let us help illuminate the meaning behind the "Festival of Lights" for you!

Hanukkah, a Jewish celebration lasting 8 days, begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar, which corresponds to November-December on the Gregorian calendar. The word "Hanukkah" (also spelled Chanukah) is Hebrew for "dedication". The holiday commemorates the reclaiming of the Temple in Jerusalem by Judas Maccabee in 165 B.C.E. and the "miracle of the container of oil."

The holiday stands as a remembrance of the survival of Judaism at a time when it was subject to oppression. Some 2,400 years ago, Palestine was under the control of a Hellenistic Syria. Jews were ordered to worship Greek gods and Jewish customs and rituals were outlawed. The Jewish holy Temple in Jerusalem, located near the village of Modiin, was seized by Syrian King Antiochus IV Epiphanes and defiled when he declared it a temple to the Greek god Zeus.

Hanukkah celebrates the event of Judah Maccabee reclaiming the Temple and the rededication ceremony with Menorah lighting that he organized. Maccabee led a small group of soldiers to rebel against the Syrians. They were successful in recapturing Jerusalem and the Temple three years after Antiochus had taken control. Maccabee cleansed the Temple and wanted to rededicate it to God with a ceremony that included a lighting of the Menorah but could only find one jar of sanctified oil, only enough to burn for one day. This oil was used for the lighting and miraculously burned for eight days, which happens to correspond to the time that was needed to obtain another jar of purified oil. A candle is lit each of the eight nights of Hanukkah to commemorate this miracle.

The Menorah, called the Hanukiyah in Israel, has place holders for 9 candles arranged in a candelabra. There is one candle for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah and one (centrally located at a different height than the other eight) that is used to light the other candles. On the first night of Hanukkah, one candle is lit, on the second night, two candles, and so on for all eight nights. The candles are lit each night from left to right while a blessing is said. Hanukkah is also commonly known as the Festival of Lights, a name inspired by the Menorah and it's importance to the holiday.

Hanukkah is a festive holiday that includes a tradition of special foods, games, and gifts. Many of the dishes prepared for Hanukkah are cooked in oil to commemorate the miracle oil Maccabee used in the Temple rededication. Latkes and doughnuts, both fried in oil, are popular. Latkes are potato pancakes and are often served with applesauce or sour cream as a dipping sauce. In addition to paying homage to oil, latkes serve as a reminder of what Maccabee and his soldiers would eat when going in to battle. The pancakes were an easy and quick meal for the soldiers, although they were not made of potatoes back then, as the tuber wasn't available in that region in 165 B.C.E.

Sufganiyot are jelly doughnuts that are popular at Hanukkah, but these treats aren't shaped like your typical doughnut. Instead of forming the doughnut in to O's or patty-like circles, the unshaped dough is dropped in to hot oil, creating odd shapes when it comes out. Sufganiyot are covered in powdered sugar, cinnamon, or both and are very popular in Israel.

One of the more familiar symbols of Hanukkah is the four sided top, the dreidel (called a sivivon in Israel). The top is used to play a game during Hanukkah, often during the festivities that follow lighting the Menorah. Each side of the top has a Hebrew letter on it that, in the United States, stands for "A Great Miracle Happened There" and in Israel stand for "A Great Miracle Happened Here." To play the game, each player is given a certain amount of coins or candy and each player puts a fixed amount of that in to the "pot" (kupah). Players then spin the top, one at a time, and according to what side the top lands on, the player gives more to the kupah, takes from it, or does nothing. The game continues until all players have run out of "funds" or until everyone agrees to end the game. The dreidel's significance to Hanukkah has to do with the time period before rededication of the Temple when Syria reigned. Jews were not allowed to practice their religion and were subject to execution if caught doing so by Syrian soldiers. To get around this oppression, when Jews would gather to study the Torah, they would bring the top with them. If they heard soldiers approaching, they would hide their study materials and take out the dreidel. This way they appeared to the soldiers to merely be playing a game or gambling instead of participating in forbidden activities.

Another Hanukkah tradition is the giving of gelt. Yiddish for "money', gelt is given (usually to kids) in the form of coins during the nights of Hanukkah. Today, chocolate coins often substitute for real ones, however gifts of actual money in larger sums are also given in addition to candy. In the United States, some of the traditions associated with Christmas have influenced Hanukkah practices in many Jewish households. While giving gelt has always been traditional, many families also give other types of gifts during Hanukkah. With the holiday's proximity to Christmas, many Jewish parents give presents to their children so they don't feel left out during Christmas gift giving that abounds around them.

While combining Hanukkah with Christmas traditions is frowned upon by many rabbis and Orthodox Jews, it is increasingly common for Jewish-American families to incorporate some of the less religious customs of Christmas. Some families have added to their celebration a "Hanukkah bush", a.k.a. a decorated tree. The Hanukkah bush can be identical to a Christmas tree or might be decorated with Judaic themed ornaments only. Like Christmas, although to a lesser extent, Hanukkah has become commercialized in the United States. Decorations, food, party items, and Hanukkah themed gifts can be found in many stores during the winter holiday season.