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Happy Hanukkah!

Hanukkah officially begins at sundown on December 21st and lasts eight days, until December 29th. New Moon Girls member Sara shares the history of Hanukkah:

“Thousands of years ago, Alexander the Great acquired so much land that he couldn’t control it all, so he split it into three parts to be ruled by his closest advisors before he died. One of those was the Seleucid Empire. After a few generations, Antiochus Ephiphanes came into power. By this time, the three empires as well as other kingdoms were constantly at war, and the Seleucid Empire was located so its enemies could converge and squash it to pieces. So when Antiochus suspected that the Jews were going to rebel, he began to take away their freedoms, such as Jewish worship and sacrifices. When he ordered a Greek idol to be placed in a Jewish Temple, it was the last straw for many Jews, especially Mattitiahu (Mattathias) the Hashmonai (Hasmonean) and his sons, a family of ritual priests from the city of Modiin. He refused to worship the Greek gods, and his son Judah led a revolt with a group called the Maccabees. They stormed the Greek forts, and they defeated the army, regaining their religious freedom and restoring the temple.”

Emma adds, “When the temple was once again in Jewish hands, they had to burn holy oil through the night. They only had enough oil for one night, but miraculously it lasted for eight, which was enough time to find more oil! Today, Jews traditionally light eight candles on a Menorah (candle-holder) over the course of eight days, saying a prayer as each candle is lit. They put the candles in a window so passersby can see it.”

Families also eat food cooked in oil, including potato pancakes called latkes, to remember the miracle of the oil. Sara, Emma, and her sister Rebecca play dreidel, a top-spinning game during Hanukkah, but they each have unique family traditions, too. Rebecca says, “When we play dreidel, rather than playing with money or chocolate coins, we use whatever is on the table to play with—candy, nuts, chocolate, whatever.” And Sarah says, “My family gives minimal gifts on Hanukkah, but we spend time together and play games. We have a special ‘Hanukkah Box,’ and every night we pick out an index card, which has a fun family activity on it—anything from doing something holiday-related to playing a game of Monopoly.”

Emma adds, “We aren't a very religious family, but we always light the candles on as many nights as possible. Instead of saying the prayer, we sing it. My relatives buy Rebecca and I gifts. Our neighbors come over on the first night to celebrate and sing with us. We eat our potato latkes with either homemade applesauce or sour cream. Rebecca and I always both want to light the menorah, so we take turns by alternating nights.”

Some families attend synagogue (a Jewish house of worship) during Hanukkah, and some exchange gifts. Rebecca says, “I always see all of the gifts and open only one a
day. . . to make them last longer!” Sara says, “In Israel, presents are not part of the holiday, because competing with Christmas is a non-issue.”

Do you celebrate Hanukkah with your family? Share your thoughts, questions, and traditions by leaving a comment!

P.S. Check out our Hanukkah story, A Present for Frances, in the Spotlight hub!

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