It’s that time of the year again! Thanksgiving has passed, the weather is turning cold, and all chatter is about the holidays. In other words, Hanukkah is almost upon us! It’s time to take out the menorah, eat some latkes, and play some dreidel games. But what is Hanukkah, anyway?
While most MLHS students have heard about Hanukkah and are aware of some of its fundamental traditions, little is known about its origin and significant practices. One MLHS freshman said she doesn’t, “know much but [knows that] a candle is lit for each day on the menorah” and that “people play a game of dreidels and there are coins in the game.” While this is correct, there is much more to the holiday that makes it a truly special occasion. Another MLHS freshman said she knows, “that Hanukkah is an important holiday that is celebrated by lighting candles on a menorah each day for eight days. It is a special time that has been celebrated for many years.” However, Hanukkah is much more than lighting candles or trading gelt. The “festival of lights” is a celebration of a miracle.
You may be asking yourself, why are there seven bonus nights after the first and what do you mean by miracle? After the rededication of the Second Temple by the Maccabees, the temple lantern blazed for “eight crazy nights” (click here Adam Sandler’s “The Hanukkah Song”). The eight days of Hanukkah represent those miraculous eight nights for which the candle in the lantern burned back in the second century B.C.E.
In modern times, to remember these eight nights, Jews around the world partake in Hanukkah traditions for eight days, such as lighting the menorah: a candelabrum with nine candle-holders. As the menorah is lit, a prayer is sung in Hebrew.
In addition to lighting the menorah, another Hanukkah festivity is the dreidel game, played by spinning a four-sided top. On each of the four sides is a Hebrew letter, and the letter facing up once the dreidel stops spinning indicates whether the player wins, loses, or keeps their gelt. A piece of gelt is a chocolate coin in golden wrapping and is traded among players throughout the game.
The holiday starts and ends at sundown, and this year begins on December 22nd and ends on December 30th. Unlike many other holidays, Hanukkah is a day on the Jewish lunar calendar in the month of Kislev (which usually occurs during November or December) so its date varies year to year on the Gregorian calendar. This year, Hanukkah will occur during our winter break, so there’s plenty of time to enjoy the eight crazy nights. Happy Hanukkah!
0
0
Average Rating