Hanukkah is a Jewish festival and holiday celebrated by Jews around the world to commemorate the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem back in the 2nd century BC following its desecration by the Greek Syrian-Greeks. The name Hanukkah derives from the Hebrew word for ‘dedication’, and is celebrated by Jews for eight days and nights starting on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. The festival is marked with a severe of joyous traditions.
Hanukkah is a time for joy and blessings. It is a time to reflect on the past, to remember the Maccabees’ victory and rededication of the Holy Temple, and to also look toward the future. The holiday is celebrated with several traditional activities that have remained a part of the Jewish culture for generations. One of the important Hanukkah traditions is the lighting of the Menorah. It is done by placing seven candles in the Menorah, with the shamash (the helper candle) being lit first and then used to light the others. It is customary to light one candle on the first night of Hanukkah, two on the second night and so on. This tradition is celebrated every night until all of the candles have been lit.
The other important Hanukkah tradition is the exchange of gifts known as the ‘Hanukkah gelt’. The tradition of giving Hanukkah gelt dates back to the days of the first Temple in Jerusalem, when Jews were expected to donate money for the upkeep and support of the Temple. Nowadays, the giving of money is replaced by the exchange of gifts. It is customary to give coins, chocolate coins or candy as Hanukkah gelt as this reminds us of that first Temple in Jerusalem.
The most popular game during Hanukkah is the dreidel game. Dreidel is a four-sided spinning top with Hebrew letters on each side, which stands for the expression ‘Nes Gadol Haya Sham’ meaning ‘A Great Miracle Happened There’. The dreidel game is played with a set of coins, chocolate coins or candy that are used to bet on the spinning top. It is a game of chance and the player with the most coins or candy at the end of the round is the winner.
Another popular Hanukkah tradition is the eating of fried foods. Eating foods fried in oil commemorate the miracle of the oil which burned in the Temple for eight days and gave the people enough time to make more oil for the lamps. Eating dishes such as Latkes (potato pancakes), Sufganiyot (doughnuts) and other fried treats is not only a delicious tradition, but also a reminder of the miracle of the oil.
Hanukkah is a time for joy and celebration imbued with ages-old traditions that remain a timeless part of the Jewish culture. For eight nights, we light the Menorah, we give gifts, we play the dreidel game and we eat fried foods to commemorate the miracle of the rededication of the Holy Temple and celebrate our way of life.
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Last update 2023-11-27. Price and product availability may change.