Hanukkah

Chapter 10

Hanukkah is a holiday that has been celebrated for thousands of years. This celebration is recognised over eight nights during the winter months for the Jewish people. Most years, this holiday is celebrated in December, or the Hebrew month of Kislev. The holiday has many traditions within Jewish families and is an incredibly important holiday in their religion.

The holiday was first created after an incredible victory that the Israelites had over the Greek army. In the 2nd Century BCE, the Maccabees, a small group of Israeli rebels, decided to fight back against the large and powerful Greek army. The Maccabees were led by one Judah Maccabee and his son, along with a few others, yet the Greek army outnumbered them in too large of a ratio to count.

The Greek army was attempting to take Jewish territory away from their owners. This land still stands today, and is the holy land of Jerusalem. One of the most important locations in the land of Jerusalem was the temple, which was the holiest temple in the land. The Menorah, a Jewish artifact which is used to spread light to others, was always lit within the temple. When the Maccabees reclaimed and purified the temple, there was only enough oil to barely last a night. However, the oil lasted eight nights, which is why the holiday is celebrated for eight days.

The Menorah was used to give hope to the Jewish people. Under the Greeks, the Jewish people were not allowed to practice the traditions of the Torah and had little hope for the future. The lighting of the Menorah gave hope to the people, and still gives hope to Jews all around the world today.

There are many different traditions associated with the holiday. Firstly, each of the eight nights, a candle is lit on the Chanukiah, which is a different version of a Menorah. On the first night, only one candle is lit, but after all of the nights, all eight are. All of the candles are lit by a ninth candle called the shamash which lights the others, spreading its light from one to the next.

Dreidels are a toy used on Hanukkah. The dreidel is like a top, each with a different Hebrew letter on each side, meaning different things. You spin the dreidel, and depending on what it lands on, you get a certain amount of gelt, which is chocolate money. If it is gimel, you get it all. If hay, you get half. If shin, you must give one piece of gelt to the middle. And if you get a nun, you get nothing.

Latkes and sufganiyot are eaten on Hanukkah as well. Latkes are potato pancakes and sufganiyot are jelly donuts. Both of these foods are widely popular in the Jewish world. Finally, on each night of Hanukkah, gifts are exchanged between people. This is similar to Christmas, except the gifts go for eight nights instead of one.

Hanukkah is a holiday that has been celebrated for thousands of years. Stemming from a miracle from the lasting oil, this holiday brings joy to Jewish people all around the world, and brings them hope and light. Happy Hanukkah everyone!

Written by Michael Isserles.
Edited by Hazel Antler.
Proofread by Daphne Clarke.