Beloved Traditions of Hanukkah

Hanukkah is one of the most familiar of the Jewish holidays to the rest of the world. Many people who aren’t Jewish believe that it is one of the most important holidays of the Jewish calendar. But that simply isn’t true. The high holy days of Judaism fall in early fall, while Hanukkah is a winter holiday that often falls close to Christmas. It is important to remember that Hanukkah is not the Jewish equivalent of Christmas. It is its own special celebration in the Jewish faith.

While Hanukkah always falls on the 25th day of Kislev, the holidays are charted on a religious calendar that doesn’t match up with the solar calendar that most of us use for day-to-day scheduling. Like all other Jewish holidays, observance begins at sundown and concludes at sundown. This year, the first day of Hanukkah falls on the American holiday of Thanksgiving. This is a very rare occurrence and last happened in 1888 and isn’t predicted to happen again in our lifetime.

A Short History of the Holiday

Often called the “Festival of Lights”, Hanukkah is officially known as the “Festival of Rededication”. Under the rule of Antiochus IV, a Greek ruler, Jewish people were not allowed to observe their religion in public or private. During this time, the temple was desecrated and a military revolution began to fight against the oppression. When the Jewish people achieved a military victory, they wanted to rededicate the defiled temple. At that time there was only enough oil to keep the candles going for one night. A miracle occurred. When the officials went to the temple in the morning, the lights were still shining and there was enough oil for another night. This continued for eight nights until a fresh supply of oil arrived.

Hanukkah Traditions & Celebrations

The Rituals—Each night of Hanukkah is marked by the lighting of the menorah, a candelabra that holds nine candles. There is a candle for each night of the holiday and one servant candle, called a shammus. There are prayers said as the candles are lit each evening at sundown.

The Foods of Hanukkah—Hanukkah is a joyful celebration and many of the traditional holiday dishes are fried or made with cheese. Many of the foods are fried to commemorate the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days. Popular Hanukkah dishes include latkes, which are potato pancakes fried in oil and topped with applesauce or sour cream. Other favorite dishes include brisket, cheese-stuffed pastries and a jelly-filled doughnut called sufganiyot.

Hanukkah Fun & Games—Driedel is a game that kids and adults like to play during the holiday. It is played with a square wooden top that has Hebrew letters on each side. It is a game of chance and the players will play for small tokens, most commonly gelt or chocolate coins. Back before the revolution, Jewish men would gather to study the Torah in secret. They would play this game of chance as a cover for their illegal studies.

While Hanukkah is not the most holy of the Jewish holidays, it is indeed an important and joyful celebration for Jewish people around the world. Celebrated with festive lights, rich foods, traditional games, it is a time when Jewish friends and families come together to celebrate a miracle that happened thousands of years ago.