Hanukkah – Festival of Lights

During the darkest time of the year, mid-winter, is when Jews all over the world celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights or the Festival of Dedication.

Hanukkah is the celebration of a miracle that took place in the year 165 BCE during the purification of the Temple in Jerusalem following the successful rebellion by the Maccabees against the Seleucid Greeks.

From around the year 200 BCE the land of Judea has been under the rule of the Seleucid Greeks. The first ruler Antiochus III was benevolent towards the Jews and had granted them the right to live according to their ancestral traditions. However, his son Antiochus IV Epiphanes turned this around, banned the daily sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem, in effect outlawing Judaism. He also banned circumcision and ordered pigs to be sacrificed in the Temple, and had a statue to Zeus installed in the Temple.

This proved too much for the Jews, and under the leadership of Jewish priest, Mattathias and his five sons, Yohanan, Simeon, Eleazar, Jonathan and Judah, they rose up in rebellion against the Greeks. After two years of fighting, the Jews came out successful, and had liberated Jerusalem and the Temple from the Greeks.

Judah Maccabee (Yehuda HaMacabi or Yehuda the Hammer) ordered all vestiges of the Greeks to be removed, including the alter that had been desecrated. A new alter was made. The whole Temple compound now needed to be purified and rededicated. To do so the Menorah (the Seven-Armed Candelabra) was to be lit and burn for eight days. However, the olive oil found was too little to burn for every night for eight days, as demanded.

Zohar, Alma and Dror lighting hanukkah candles

Despite that there was only enough oil for one night, the lights were lit, and a miracle occurred that they burnt for the full eight days. This happened on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of  Kislev.

To this day Jews all over begin the Hanukkah holiday on this day. The tradition is to light the hanukkiah (a nine armed candelabra). Nine – eight arms, one for each of the day of Hanukkah, and the ninth to light the other lights. This one is known as the shamash, the servant. The tradition is that on the first night of Hanukkah one light is lit with the shamash, on the second night two, and so on, till on the eight night all lights are burning.

During the lighting of the lights blessings are said. This is followed by the singing of Ma’oz Zur, and generally, especially here in Israel, with the singing of many other songs. Hanukka is the holiday with more songs than any other of the Jewish holidays.

Special foods belong to Hanukka, as with all other holidays. The foods for Hanukkah are traditionally food fried in oil (to remind of the oil used during the dedication). This holiday, more than any of the others, is characterized by foods high in calories, such as latkes, potato pancakes, and soufganiot, a type of doughnut, often injected with jam.

The sevivon, a four-sided spinning top is an integral part of Hanukkah. Each side is inscribed with a Hebrew letter – nun, gimel, heh and peh, for the four words: nes gadol haya po – a great miracle was here. Games developed around this sevivon, still played in many households.

Hag Sameah (Happy Holiday)