Hanukkah oh Hanukkah come light the menorah! Let’s have a party we’ll all dance the horah! Hanukkah is the festival of lights. During this time, the darkest time of year, we celebrate the miracle of light, and it is a holiday that I enjoy ever so much.
In Judaism, Hanukkah is merely a minor festival; our big holidays, or “holy days” are Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. Hanukkah lasts 8 days and involves the nightly lighting of the Menorah (referred to also as a Hanukiah). What is a Menorah or Hanukiah? It is a candelabrum with 8 candle holders in a row and a separate candle holder for the “Shamash.” The Shamash is used to light the other 8 candles and is necessary since the Hanukkah lights are for the sole purpose of viewing.
So, what is this miracle of which I speak? The miracle we celebrate at Hanukkah commemorates the victory that took place after the King of Syria (Antiochus) and his forces desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem. The Maccabees victoriously took back the Temple. Unfortunately, upon retaking this sacred place, it looked as though it would not be possible to keep the eternal flame lit — only a small container of oil remained. However, this little bit of oil, which should have been enough to last only one day, fueled the flame in the Temple for 8 days, which was the amount of time needed to obtain additional oil. Hence the miracle.
We light the Menorah each night of Hanukkah (by the way, it’s also spelled Chanukah, both are correct) and we also say special blessings over the candles that we do not say at any other time of year. We also sing lovely Hanukkah songs (such as the one I started this post off with) and eat lots of fried foods to commemorate the miracle of the oil.
Katie says
Happy Hanukkah! (I must confess, when you referred to singing Hanukkah songs, Adam Sandler’s came to mind… I promise I am more cultured than that makes me seem! :-)
Elana Daley says
Shared your writing on FB tonight. Thank you for sharing your wealth of information, knowledge, the outcome of your failures and successes, your lovely family, and your life. It all makes a difference to me and to so many.
Happy Chanukah to you Elana
Love, lights, and blessings!
Elana
Beverly Becker says
May the lights of the season light your way for the year, Elana! We loved the inspiring messages.
Brandon May says
Happy Hanukkah! I enjoy the festival of light and the metaphor associatied with the holiday. Welcoming in the light at the darkest time of year. For some reason, in the dark, cold and winter months, I feel the warm inside.
Susan Jane says
Happy Hannukah Elana. You deserve every continued success. May 2011 be even more exciting for you than 2010, if that’s possible!
From a big fan in Ireland,
Susan Jane
Maria says
My daughters and I danced to “Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah” last night, albeit the Barenaked Ladies version. They really enjoyed it. I have a book about the Maccabees and the origins of the celebration of Hanukkah, but it’s a little over my girls’ heads right now….so I just explained to my older daughter that Hanukkah is about a wonderful miracle that took place a very long time ago. I think your post explained it much better, though.
Blessings!
Maridith says
Thank you for sharing things dear to your heart, as well as your wonderful recipes.
Melissa says
Thank you for the background on Hanukkah, Elana- I actually never really knew too much about it. Happy holidays to you- enjoy!
xxx- Melissa
Lauren says
Elana, thank you for sharing this. My five year old daughter was just asking what Hanukkah was last night. I told her we would find out exactly what was celebrated in the morning. I wake and find an email that explains it perfectly. Thank you!
And congratulations, Lisa!
Raquel of Galilee says
Recently, I read that a few religions have holidays that light the darkness at this time of year, since we are nearing the shortest day of the year.
Near us, in the city of Nazareth, Christians celebrate the festival of light with processions of children dressed in white, holding candles.
We are more alike than not.
Happy Holidays to everyone!
[BTW the comments on readers favorite charities was amazing!]