Hanukkah is the holiday where many Jews around the world celebrate this eight-day winter holiday on the 25th day of the month of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar. Hanukkah means “dedication.”
In the United States, it is a joyous holiday celebrated by many Jewish families during the darkest days of December. Here are the origins and meanings behind various Hanukkah traditions, as they are celebrated in the United States.
Lighting a Menorah – The Hanukkah miracle
“The Hannukah miracle”, where the Greek-Syrian overthrown and reclaimed the ancient temple in Jerusalem. They found a single container of oil, enough to keep the candelabrum, also known as “menorah”, but instead it lasted 8 days. Lighting a menorah has been the primary ritual of Hanukkah for at least 1,800 years.AT the beginning the tradition was to light one candle and then it shifted to eight to remember the miracle. Since that shift, menorahs have had nine branches to accommodate the eight candles, as well as one used to light the others.
Displaying a Lit Menorah – Hanukkah
The practice of placing the Hanukkiyah in the window of one’s home after it’s lit is a way of announcing to the world that this extraordinary miracle took place. And while most Hanukkah rituals take place in the home, over the last decade, some communities have been holding public menorah lighting ceremonies alongside those for Christmas trees.
History Playing Dreidel Hanukkah
The “dreidel” is one of the most-recognizable items associated with Hanukkah. But this hasn’t always been the case. It’s unclear where or when playing dreidel originated, but historians point out that it didn’t make an appearance in Jewish writings until the 18th centuryThe four sides of a dreidel are each marked with a different letter—which, in German, are: G for “ganz” (all), H for “halb” (half), N for “nischt” (nothing) and S for “schict” (put)—and dictates whether the person who spun the top should take all, half, or none of the coins in the collective pot, or put their own in.
Because Yiddish is related to German, the four original letters continued to serve as the instructions for the game. They also happen to be the first letters of the words in the Yiddish phrase “nes gadol haya sham,” or “a great miracle happened there”.
Giving Out Gelt – lso known in Yiddish language as money
Gelt, also known in Yiddish language as money, came in the 16th century and referred to the Italian and Sefardic tradition of collecting money to buy or make clothing for poor children in the local schools. By the 19th century, Jews in Eastern Europe started giving coins directly to children in their family as Hanukkah gifts,
In the 1920s, American confectioners, chocolate makers, began producing Hanukkah gelt made of chocolate and wrapped in gold foil, which has remained its primary form since. The chocolate coins often have Jewish symbols from the Maccabees and the ancient temple impressed upon them; these coins are now used to play with dreidel.
Singing Hanukkah Songs – Tradition is to sing happy
Also a very well known tradition is to sing happy and festive songs. One of the most famous Hanukkah songs is called “Maoz Tzur,” which was originally written as a poem and is now sung as a song of praise. Other examples include “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah,” and yes, “I Have a Little Dreidel.”
Eating Foods Cooked in Oil – Commemorate the miracle of the oil
American celebrations of Hanukkah typically include dishes cooked in oil, which is another way to commemorate the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days.
There are two “core foods” eaten during Hanukkah in the United States. The first is potato pancakes, which are called “latkes” in Yiddish. Doughnuts of various kinds are commonly eaten by Jews from other regions.
Exchanging Gifts in Hanukkah
Gift-giving hasn’t always been associated with Hanukkah. It has traditionally been done as part of another Jewish holiday known as Purim, which is linked to Hanukkah, and takes place in the spring. But that began to change around the 1880s, when American Jews began adopting the Christmas custom. Now, there’s a tradition that children in some families get a present for every night of the holiday.
Eating Dairy like spiritual celebration
It is customary in some Jewish households to eat dairy foods in memory of the legendary brave heroine Judith, who tempted the wicked General Holofernes with dairy foods, and then lured him to his death, saving the Jewish nation.
Holidays and spiritual celebrations have always been part of our history. We celebrate by sharing with others and spreading love through cooking, gifting or singing
