Happy Chanukah


This is the story of "Chanukah" (which means rededication) known also as "The Festival of Lights." Chanukah is a Jewish Holiday that begins this year at sundown on December 21st. It is then that the first candle of the Menorah (called Hanukiyah at Chanukah) is lit. Chanukah will last for eight days and the Hanukiyah will be burned for eight days. However, the Hanukiyah has nine candles. The ninth candle is called Shamash. It is used to light the other candles. Each night that the candles are lit, special prayers are said.

This holiday began several thousand years ago in Judea, today that land is called Israel. It is not only the celebration of the victory of the Macabees it also celebrates the miracle of the oil that burned for 8 days. A Syrian King had ordered the Jewish people to reject not only their God, but also their customs and their beliefs. He wanted them to worship Greek God's. The Macabees fought against this and drove the Syrians out of Israel and reclaimed the temple in Jerusalem. There is an oil lamp that is kept in every Jewish temple that is called the eternal light. It is to be kept lit at all times. At that time there was only enough oil to keep the lamp lit for one day but the lamp remained lit for eight days.

There are many Chanukah Customs. One is playing a game called Driedel. This game dates back to when the Syrians ruled. When children studied the Torah, they had to do this so in secret so whenever the Syrian's spotted them they would pretend to be playing Driedel. Look for the links on this page for this holiday to find out more about the Driedel. There is also another custom that is a favorite of the Jewish children is called Chanukah Gelt. It is traditional to give all children Gelt (money) Some folks today give Gelt that comes in the form of Chocolate.

The web pages that are listed contain more on the history, customs, traditions and recipes for Chanukah. So be sure and check them out and have a "Happy Chanukah."

Chanukah/Hanukkah

The copyright of the article Happy Chanukah in Holidays At Home is owned by Charlotte Spell. Permission to republish Happy Chanukah in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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