Chanukah

Chanukah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is a Jewish holiday that encompasses eight days of celebration. The holiday may be held in late November, December, or even on occasion may be held in January. The reason for the movement of when the holiday actually begins is based upon the fact that the Chanuka holiday begins upon the 25th day of Kislev. According to the Hebrew Calendar, Kislev is the third month of the ecclesiastical year and the ninth month of the civil year. All Jewish holidays are bound by the Hebrew Calendar, not the Gregorian calendar as is other non-jewish holiday celebrations. Thus, the holiday move fluidly across the months of November, December and occasionally into January as noted above.

The holiday was called Chanukah which translates loosely to “dedication.” The holiday is held to mark the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the Miracle of the Oil witnessed after the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire. The lore notes that there was only enough consecrated olive oil for the eternal flame in the Temple to burn one day, yet miraculously the oil burned for eight days – the exact length of time it would take to press, prepare and consecrate additional oil to be burned in the lamp.

The celebration of Chanukah includes the primary ritual of lighting a single light each night for eight nights. The lights can be oil lamps or candles, or electrical lights when open flames are not permitted due to medical or other considerations. The lights are normally set at a prominent window as it is taught that the reason for lighting the Chanukah lights is for “illumination of the house without” meaning that passers-by should be able to see the lights inside the house and be reminded of the holiday’s miracle. The lights should burn for at least one half hours after it gets dark. Blessings and prayers are said before or after the candles are lit.

After the lights are lit it is customary to eat special foods including fried doughnuts or potato latkes and dairy foods are also consumed in order to honor the heroism of Yehudit. Gifts are exchanged during the celebration of Chanukah including gelt (money) which is given to children to encourage them to give part of their wealth to charity. Traditional games including Dreidl are also part of the Chanukah celebration.

Chanukah is a busy time of year with a lot of deeply religious and traditional observances orchestrated to maintain a level of awareness and honor for the historical roots of the holiday activities.