Facts about Hanukkah
Various Hassidic and Sefardic traditions have additional prayers that are recited both before and after lighting the Hanukkah lights.
Hanukkah lights are not for the "lighting of the house within," but rather for the "illumination of the house without," so that passers-by should see it and be reminded of the holiday's miracle.
Here, Jesus visits the Temple during Hanukkah, and his fellow Jews ask him "If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly."
The dreidel, or sevivon in Hebrew, (a four-sided spinning top) is associated with Hanukkah.
Jewish law does not require one to refrain from activities on Hanukkah that would fit the Jewish definition of "work."
The dreidel is the centerpiece of a game which is often played after the lighting of the Hanukkah menorah, to keep the children interested during the short time the candles are burning.
The apocryphal books known as 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees record other versions of the origin of the eight days of Hanukkah.
Potato pancakes, known as latkes in Yiddish, are traditionally associated with Hanukkah (especially among Ashkenazi families) because there is a custom to eat foods fried or baked in oil.
Hanukkah gained increased importance with many Jewish families in the twentieth century, including large numbers of secular Jews who wanted a Jewish alternative to the Christmas celebrations that often overlap with Hanukkah.
Hanukkah begins at the twenty-fifth day of Kislev and concludes on the second or third day of Tevet (Kislev can have 29 or 30 days).
When there is a second Sabbath on Hanukkah, the Haftarah reading is from I Kings 7:40-50.
Vekhol-shemonat yemei Hanukkah hanneirot hallalu kodesh heim, ve-ein lanu reshut lehishtammesh baheim ella lir'otam bilvad kedei lehodot ul'halleil leshimcha haggadol 'al nissekha ve'al nifleotekha ve'al yeshu'otekha.
On the first night of Hanukkah, Jews recite all three blessings; on all subsequent nights, they recite only the first two.
Hanukkah begins at sundown on the evening before the date shown.
So, the first day of Hanukkah actually begins at sunset of the day immediately before the date noted on Gregorian calendars.
The amount is usually in small coins, although grandparents or other relatives may give larger sums as an official Hanukkah gift.
Hanukkah has relatively simple religious rituals that are performed during the eight nights and days of the holiday.
Many Hassidic Rebbes distribute coins to those who visit them during Hanukkah.
The Hanukkah menorah is also kindled daily in the synagogue, at night with the blessings and in the morning without the blessings.
Hanukkah gelt (Yiddish for "money") is often distributed to children to enhance their enjoyment of the holiday.
Most Jewish homes have a special candelabra or oil lamp holder for Hanukkah, which holds eight lights plus the additional shamash light.
Hanukkah is also mentioned in the Christian Bible in the book of Gospel of John 10:22-25.
The eight-day Jewish celebration known as Hanukkah or Chanukah commemorates the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where according to legend Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt.
Today, people celebrate Hanukkah to remember defeating the Syrians and reviving the Temple of Jerusalem. Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days to mark the eight days the oil burned. People celebrate Hanukkah by lighting candles on a menorah, which is also called a Hanukiyah. Each night, one more candle is lit.
Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Lights and it remembers the rededication of the second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. This happened in the 160s BCE/BC (before Jesus was born). ... During Hanukkah, on each of the eight nights, a candle is lit in a special menorah (candelabra) called a 'hanukkiyah'.
Like sufganiyot (jelly donuts), latkes are eaten to celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah, where a small amount of oil burned in a menorah for eight nights. While the donuts are high up on our list of faves too, latkes combine our love of fried foods with our love of potatoes.Dec 4, 2015
Some of the ideas are traditional ones, while others are more modern examples of how the joy of Hanukkah can be shared with loved ones.Play the Dreidel Game. In order to play the dreidel game, all you need is a dreidel and some gelt. ... Make Latkes and Sufganiyot. ... Read Hanukkah Books Together. ... Hanukkah Calendars.
It lasted for eight whole days until new oil could be prepared. The menorah has an extra place for the "sham mash" (SHAH-mash) or "helper" candle that is used to light all the other candles. Latkes, or potato pancakes, are a favorite Hanukkah food. They are fried in oil, which reminds Jews of the oil in the menorah.
5 Hanukkah Traditions. Celebrate the festival of lights and stick to Hanukkah traditions to show your appreciation for the holiday. Take part in Chanukah traditions such as lighting the menorah, playing the dreidel game, eating gelt, cooking and baking delicious food, and enjoying the fun of Hanukkah gifts.
On the first night of Hanukkah, place a candle in the holder on the far right, and light it with the shamash. Then put the shamash back in its spot (leaving it lit). On the second night, light the candle second from the right, then the candle on the far right, and replace the lit shamash.
Hanukkah means it's time for the menorah, dreidels, and gelt. The centerpiece of the Hanukkah celebration is the hanukkiah or menorah, a candelabra that holds nine candles. Eight candles symbolize the number of days that the Temple lantern blazed; the ninth, the shamash, is a helper candle used to light the others.