Hanukkah For Dummies (VIDEOS)

To begin my series on various holidays that are celebrated in the month of December, Hanukkah will be the first covered. Hanukkah began this year on November 27, 2013 and will end on December 5, 2013.

What is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah is a holiday that is celebrated in remembrance of the battle between the Greek-Syrians that resulted in Jerusalem being taken. The Greek-Syrians then tried to force the Jewish people to worship their gods or die. The Jewish people refused to do so and went back to battle against the Greek-Syrians and won.?They took back Jerusalem and their temple.

At that point, though, the temple had been defiled because of the worship of other gods and a cleansing had to be done. The Jewish people then felt that the only way to cleanse the temple was to light the menorah for eight days. They discovered that there was only enough oil for one day; the menorah was still lit and continue to burn for eight days. This is the miracle of Hanukkah and why the menorah is lit for eight days and left burning for eight days. This resulted in the rededication of the temple.

This video illustrates how to light a menorah:

What happens during Hanukkah?

During Hanukkah, gifts are given to children and a feast is held that consists of fried foods, in remembrance of the oil. The menorah is lit, from left to right with a branch each night of Hanukkah, until the eight night, when the final candle is light. Children play with dreidels, a square top with the Hebrew letters of Nun, Gimel, Hei, and Shin, which stands for “Nes Gadol Hayah Sham” which means “A miracle occurred here.”

Want to play dreidel? This video shows how:

6 Facts about Hanukkah

  • Hanukkah literally translates to “dedication” or “induction.”
  • It falls on the 25th day of Kislev in the Jewish calendar.
  • It is a lesser Jewish holiday.
  • The food of choice is fried food, in remembrance of the oil.
  • Gifts were not traditionally given on Hanukkah and only came about with Christmas gift giving with the two holidays so close together.
  • Hanukkah is known as the Festival of Lights.

Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish readers!

Featured image via Amazon:?Rite-Lite Judaica Hand Painted Ceramic Menorah