Christmas and Hanukkah overlap each other this year. It doesn’t always, as the Jewish calendar is lunar and changes year to year. I started celebrating Hanukkah as a single mom when Daughter #1 was around three years old. I rented the basement of another single mom who had two little children. Niza was Jewish and exposed me to the Jewish holidays and traditions. Then, when Hubby #2 came along and was Jewish, the traditions continued.
We still had a Christmas tree because you don’t take Santa away from a three year old…or her mama, for that matter. I always love Hanukkah. It is the Festival of Lights. It’s actually a very minor holiday in Judaism but Hallmark and the competition of Christmas and Santa Claus has caused it to be more commercialized.
Hanukkah centers around the story of the rededication of the temple by the Maccabees after it had been desecrated by Antiochus. The temple was cleansed but when they went to refill the menorah, there was only enough sacred oil to burn one day. It would take at least eight days to get supplies of sacred oil from elsewhere. The Maccabees debated whether to go ahead and light the menorah, knowing it would burn out…or just wait. They decided to go ahead and rededicate the temple and light the oil. A miracle occurred when the oil burned for the full eight days.
In later years, it became the custom to light the menorah and eat fried foods to symbolize the miracle of the sacred oil. Traditionally, latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (donuts) are eaten. A game is played with the dreidel (a four-sided top with Hebrew letters). Songs are sung and gifts exchanged. This is repeated every night for eight nights. It’s a really fun holiday. I haven’t really participated in a Hanukkah party for quite some time…although I do make latkes at least once over the holiday.
For those of you who are Jewish and celebrate, I wish you all a joyous Hanukkah. Chag Sameach! May your Latkes be crispy and your candles be bright!
❤️
“Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter,”
John 10:22 NIV