Learn About the Holidays (Part II)
Tonight begins the eight day, Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. The festival commemorates the Jewish Maccabean victory over the religiously oppressive Assyrian rule. Tradition holds that when the Maccabees returned to their Holy Temple in Jerusalem, they only found one day's worth of oil for the seven branched candelabra or Menorah. However, this oil miraculously lasted eight days.
Today, Jews mark each day of the holiday by lighting the Hanukkiah, a nine branched version of the Menorah, adding one light for each day. This light from the candelabra is supposed to only be looked at and is not allowed to be used for any practical purpose.
To commemorate the miracle of the oil, Jews traditionally eat fried food during the holiday. European Jews make latkes, potato pancakes, while others make sufganiyot, or doughnuts.
Most Jews exchange gifts. However, this is a modern addition to the holiday. Traditionally, Hanukkah gelt, or money, was distributed to the children. Today, in addition to gifts, children are given chocolate coins wrapped in foil.
Children use the Hanukkah gelt or other sweets to play dreidel. The dreidel is a four sided top with a letter on each side. In every country except Israel, the letters are an acronym for "A great miracle happened there." (In Israel, one letter is changed, and the acronym becomes "A great miracle happened here.") Depending on which letter the dreidel falls, children either add to or take from a central pot.
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Thanks for the information about Hannukkah. More details would be welcome!