Hanukkah
Celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights
As December approaches this year, you may be looking forward to the holiday season. If you are of the Jewish faith, you will be looking forward to the eight days of Hanukkah and the gathering of your friends and family to celebrate the festival of lights. As Hanukkah approaches this year, remind yourself of the importance of this holiday and of the special ways you can use to celebrate it with your loved ones.
What is Hanukkah?
Hanukkah is an eight-day-long holiday that occurs in December and celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century before the Common Era. You can show that your family is observing this holiday by using special Hanukkah decorations or inviting distant relatives to your house.
It is interesting that while Christmas is celebrated on the 25th day of December, the celebration of Chanukah begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev and Kwanzaa is celebrated for seven days from December 26th to January 1. Hanukkah is considered both a solemn and a joyous event: solemn because of the history it honors, joyous because of the traditions it celebrates and the bringing together of loved ones.
Menorah
One of the best known parts of Hanukkah is the lighting of the menorah. Each night, through all eight nights of the celebration, a new candle is lighted and stays lit throughout the entire holiday. Another candle is also lit during Hanukkah, to symbolize that the candles of the menorah are only to be lit to remember the celebration of Hanukkah, and not for any other purpose.
Dreidel
One popular Hanukkah game that you can play with your children is the spinning of the dreidel. As you spin this multi-sided wooden toy, you sing “Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,” watching carefully for the symbol that is displayed when the spinning ends. Hanukkah is also a great way to share the favorite foods of the holiday season as all of your beloved friends and family gather for this event.
Many families celebrate Hanukkah religiously every year, while others combine their celebration of Hanukkah with their observance of other holidays like Christmas. This is especially the case in multi-faith households. As you prepare for Hanukkah, whether it is your only celebration or one of several, simply remember the reason for the season.
