Hanukkah (sometimes transliterated Chanukkah) is a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days and nights. It starts on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev.
Since the Jewish calendar is lunar based, every year the first day of Hanukkah falls on a different day – usually sometime between late November and late December.
In Hebrew, the word "hanukkah" means "dedication." The name reminds us that this holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 BC.
The hanukkiyah is a nine-branched candelabra used during Hanukkah. There are at least 44 candles in each box of Hanukkah candles, enough for one person to light the hanukkiyah, according to tradition, every night. Some boxes include extra candles as they tend to break easily.
There is a custom of eating foods fried or baked in oil (preferably olive oil) to commemorate the miracle of a small flask of oil keeping the Second Temple's Menorah alight for eight days.
Hanukkah made its first appearance at The White House in 1951, when Prime Minister of Israel David Ben-Gurion gave Harry Truman a menorah as a gift.
According to Jewish law, Hanukkah is one of the less important Jewish holidays. However, Hanukkah has become much more popular in modern practice because of its proximity to Christmas.
Source About.com, The Jewish Voice
Since the Jewish calendar is lunar based, every year the first day of Hanukkah falls on a different day – usually sometime between late November and late December.
In Hebrew, the word "hanukkah" means "dedication." The name reminds us that this holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 BC.
The hanukkiyah is a nine-branched candelabra used during Hanukkah. There are at least 44 candles in each box of Hanukkah candles, enough for one person to light the hanukkiyah, according to tradition, every night. Some boxes include extra candles as they tend to break easily.
There is a custom of eating foods fried or baked in oil (preferably olive oil) to commemorate the miracle of a small flask of oil keeping the Second Temple's Menorah alight for eight days.
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| Hanukkah table. By MathKnight |
Hanukkah made its first appearance at The White House in 1951, when Prime Minister of Israel David Ben-Gurion gave Harry Truman a menorah as a gift.
According to Jewish law, Hanukkah is one of the less important Jewish holidays. However, Hanukkah has become much more popular in modern practice because of its proximity to Christmas.
Source About.com, The Jewish Voice
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