Hanukkah is the eight-day, Jewish wintertime “Festival of Lights”. Hanukkah, in Hebrew, means “dedication” because it celebrates the miracle that occurred during the Holy Temple’s rededication. This year, Hanukkah will start on the evening of Sunday, December 18, and end on the evening of Monday, December 26.
The story of Hanukkah starts when the land of Israel was ruled by Syrian king Antiochus IV, who outlawed the Jewish religion and ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods. His soldiers stormed Jeruselm killing thousands of people and destroying the city’s holy Second Temple. They trashed everything, left an altar to Zeus, and sacrificed pigs in the temple. The Jews rose in a high-scale rebellion started by Rabbi Mattathias and his five sons. After his death, his son Judah Maccabee led them in the Maccabee rebellion. The Maccabees faced daunting odds, but that didn’t stop them. They fought the battle of their lives and won. After two years the Jews had driven the Syrians out of Jerusalem. Following their victory, Judah called on his followers to repair the Second Temple and light its menorah. However, there was only enough oil to keep the menorah’s candles burning for a single day and it took eight days to make more oil. The little oil they had kept the menorah lit for eight nights, giving them enough time to produce more. This miracle is why Hanukkah is called the Festival of Lights and it inspired the yearly Jewish eight-day celebration.
In mine and many other Jewish families, the heart of the holiday is the nightly menorah lighting. The menorah holds nine candles, one for each of the eight nights, and the shamasha in the middle. The shamasha is the tallest on the menorah; it is lit every night and is used to light the other candles. On the first night, we light a single flame (using the shamasha). We then add an additional flame each night until the eighth night when all candles are lit. We light the menorah because it commemorates the miracle from the Hanukkah story. On all eight nights of Hanukkah, my family comes together and lights a new candle of the menorah, from left to right, while saying a blessing. Afterward, we exchange gifts.
On Hanukkah, it is also customary to eat foods fried in oil to symbolize the miracle with the oil. My family and I eat potato pancakes known as “latkes” and jelly-filled donuts, both of which are particularly popular Hanukkah foods in many Jewish households. On Hanukkah, many will play with a “dreidel” a four-sided spinning top with different Hebrew letters on each side. The game is usually played for chocolate coins called “gelt”. These are won or lost based on which letter the dreidel lands when it is spun.
Hanukkah traditions place a strong emphasis on community and togetherness throughout the joyful holiday, with music playing a big role in this. Just like Christmas, there are all sorts of different Hanukkah songs. Some of my favorites are “The Chanukah Song” by Adam Sandler, “Hanukkah oh Hanukkah” by the Glee cast, “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel”, as well as songs by the Maccabeats, who remix popular songs to be about Hanukkah.
Many people don’t know that Hanukkah has been blown up to be known as a major holiday, mainly because of its overlap with Christmas. However, it is a relatively minor Jewish celebration that doesn’t have any restrictions on working, attending school, or other activities.
Hanukkah is a joyful holiday where friends and family get together to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness by burning candles for eight nights and partaking in the holiday’s celebratory customs.