By The Jewish festival of Hanukkah started at sunset yesterday (22 Dec 2019). It lasts for 8 days. Hanukkah is known both as the Festival of Dedication and the Festival of Lights.
The Dedication referred to is when the Temple in Jerusalem was rededicated in the 2nd century. At that time, Israel was ruled by Syrian-Greeks. They tried to force the people of Israel to accept Greek culture and beliefs instead of their own faith and belief. The king and his forces tried all sorts of tactics to get them to change their allegiance, from banning things to death being imposed as a penalty. However, eventually, against all odds, a small band of faithful Jews, after initially fleeing to the wilderness, defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth. They drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and rededicated it to the service of God.
The Lights referred to in the other common English name for this festival, comes from the experience in the Temple when those Jews came to relight the menorah – that’s the traditional Jewish seven-branched candelabrum. They discovered that only a single cruse of olive oil had escaped contamination by the Greeks. There wouldn’t be enough for each of the 7 candles. Miraculously, they lit the menorah and the one-day supply of oil lasted for 8 days, by which time new oil had been prepared under conditions of ritual purity.
The name of the festival can be spelt In several different ways. In fact, according to dictionaries, there are more than a dozen variations of how to spell the name
The differences arise because the name comes from Hebrew, which uses a different alphabet, and some sounds in Hebrew don’t have exact matches for our Latin alphabet. Today, the most common spelling Hanukkah, but don’t be surprised if you also see Chanukah or Hanukah.
To mark Hanukkah, Jews light 1 candle each evening on a nine-branched menorah, reciting traditional blessings or songs as they do. Today Menorah have 9 candles rather than 7 as in the Temple that was rededicated. There are 8 to represent the miracle of the oil lasting 8 days, plus a 9th called a shamash. Shamash means “helper” or “attendant”, and this flame is used to light the other eight. The lit menorahs are displayed prominently, often in windows of houses.
Playing with tops called dreidels and exchanging gifts are other Hanukkah traditions. The gift giving causes some to say that Hannukah is like a Jewish Christmas, but it is much more low-key than that. One giving tradition, though, is the giving of gelt. These are chocolate coins which adults give to children as a symbol of the money that Jewish parents would give their children in lieu of gifts. Gelt means money in Yiddish.
A traditional food eaten at Hanukkah are latkes or potato pancakes. Traditionally, latkes are served hot with apple sauce.
Hanukkah is a celebration of miracles and light for Jewish people – but at its core is a message important for all of us. It is a reminder of what it can be like to live life well when we have different beliefs and practices to those around us.
