Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah! You’re probably seeing a lot of Christmas all over the Internet, but not so much about Hanukkah. It occurred to me the other day that some people might not know what this holiday is all about, but be afraid to ask. So, I thought I would share some Hanukkah basics.
Hanukkah is actually a fairly minor holiday in Judaism, but it’s gotten bigger (and more commercialized) because of its proximity to Christmas. (Jewish holidays happen around the same time each year, but not always on the same date because they go by the Hebrew calendar.) Hanukkah (which can also be spelled a million other ways,) means “dedication” in Hebrew. The holiday commemorates the victory of a small group of Jewish rebels (led by Judah Maccabee and his brothers) over the armies of Syria in 165 B.C.E. and the subsequent liberation and “rededication” of the Temple in Jerusalem.
One of the major rituals of Hanukkah is lighting the menorah each night. The menorah has eight main branches, and one more which holds the candle used to light the others. The story goes that when the Macabees returned to the temple after defeating the Syrians, they wanted to light the menorah, but there was only a small amount of oil left. In what’s known as the miracle of Hanukkah, the oil lasted eight days, which is why we celebrate Hanukkah for that length of time.
During Hanukkah, we play dreidel. The dreidel is a four-sided top with Hebrew letters which stand for words in the phrase: “A great miracle happened there!” Fun fact: in Israel, dreidels have one different letter to stand for “here” instead of “there.” Dreidel is often played with chocolate coins called gelt. When you spin the dreidel, you take an action based on which side it lands on. More about how to play here.
There are a couple of traditional foods we eat during Hanukkah. One of them is potato latkes (aka potato pancakes) cooked in oil. I usually prefer to make them from scratch with grated potatoes, but this year I was lazy and ordered some. The great debate is whether to top latkes with applesauce or sour cream. We’re team applesauce in our house! Another favorite is the jelly donut traditionally eaten in Israel during the holiday.
Gifts weren’t always a big part of Hanukkah, but it’s one of those things that got more traction alongside Christmas. I shared a little in this post about how it can be hard this time of year when Christmas is everywhere.
I hope this helped you learn a little bit about Hanukkah. Please let me know if you have any questions and I’m happy to chat more! I’ll be sharing some of our celebrations on Instagram, so make sure you’re following me there.
Sources:
Garland: Michaels
Menorah: Kate Spade (sold out, but love this one too)
Platter: Target (sold out outline, but available in some stores)
Earrings: BaubleBar for Target
Sweater: Target (similar, another option)
Wrapping paper: Paper Source
Dreidels: old (similar)
Sign: Homegoods (similar)
