Hanukkah Piece
Many of us have probably heard the Hanukkah holiday. It lasts for eight days, during the Gregorian months of November, December, or often, early January. But only a number of people actually know what Hanukkah really is. What is Hanukkah? Hanukkah, or Chanukah, is also known in English as the “Festival Of Lights” or the “Festival of Rededication”. It is a holiday celebrated by Jewish people from the 25th day of the Jewish month Kislev to the 2nd or 3rd day of Tevet.
“I like Hanukkah because it’s a casual holiday. It’s all about having a good time and eating good food, you get a little taste of it each night,” says Urbana High School Junior Eli Kling.
The term Hanukkah reminds people that this holiday is a remembrance of the rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C.E. With the celebration of the holiday comes a different tradition that is practiced and remembered dearly. Here are some of them:
– Lighting the Hanukkah Menorah: Since Hanukkah is also known as the “Festival Of Lights” the wicks of the Menorah is lit for eight days at a stretch. This is the reason why lights and lighted decors play such an important part in the observation of the celebration. “One tradition my family does is we light the Menorah at sundown,” says Kling.
– Hanukkah Gift-Giving: the gift giving tradition is growing popular as time passes by. It is a new concept that has evolved out of the gift giving tradition of the Jews. In the past, the children were tested about their knowledge on Hanukkah. “Basically, Hanukkah is a holiday for kids, so it’s a good thing to have presents,” says Kling.
– Hanukkah Food: It is customary to eat baked or fried foods with olive oil used to bake these foods. This custom is based on the miracle that took place during the rededication of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. When the Macabees won, the Temple was rededicated and the Menorah had to be lighted. But the Jewish High Priest, Kohen Gadol discovered that only a small quantity of olive oil was there. “Usually in the last day of Hanukkah, we invite family friends over and my grandma would make a traditional Hanukkah food for dinner,” says Kling.
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