How to Celebrate Hanukkah

Guide Note Hanukkah is an annual eight day Jewish festival that is celebrated sometime in November or December (according to the Gregorian calendar). Like all holidays, Hanukkah has its own traditions and celebrations that may seem daunting if you haven't celebrated it before. This page will help you get rid of any confusion and teach you the basics on how to celebrate Hanukkah.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• The History of Hanukkah
• The Menorah or Hanukiyah
• The Dreidel
• Hanukkah Foods
• Hanukkah Songs
• Hanukkah Presents or Gelt
• Conclusion
• References

Celebrating Hanukkah Tips

1. Hanukkah occurs over eight days.
2. In 2008 Hanukkah begins on December 21 and ends on December 29.
3. Lighting candles on the Menorah is done each night of Hanukkah.
4. A dreidel is a four-sided top associated with Hanukkah.
5. Hanukkah foods are usually fried in oil.
6. Gelt is a traditional gift during Hanukkah.

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Introduction

• Hanukkah is an annual eight day Jewish festival that is celebrated on the 25th day of Kislev, the third month in the Jewish calendar. In 2008, Hanukkah is celebrated from sunset on December 21 until sunset on December 29.¹

• Hanukkah has many names. It is also known as the Festival of Lights, Feast of Dedication, or Feast of the Maccabees.² It is also known as Hanukah, Hannukah, Chanukkah, Hanuka, Chanuka, Channukah, Hanaka, Chanukka and several other variants. However, no matter how you spell it, Hanukkah traditions stay the same.

• YouTube: Chanukah (Time: 3:24)

The History of Hanukkah

• Hanukkah was established to celebrate the Maccabees victory over the Hellenist Syrians. In 168 B.C.E., the Jewish temple was seized by Antiochus, the Greek King of Syria, and dedicated to Zeus.³ In addition, all Jewish rituals were banned and Jews were ordered to worship the Greek gods. Then, in 165 B.C.E., a man named Judah Maccabee and his four brothers organized a group of resistance fighters, known as the Macabees, and managed to rebel against their oppressors.^{4 5}

• To celebrate their victory, they decided to rededicate the temple. As part of this celebration, they planned to light the menorah. Unfortunately, they only had enough oil to light the menorah for one day and it would take eight days before they could make more oil.⁵ Instead of going out after a day, the menorah managed to stay lit for eight days until a new supply could be obtained.⁶

• YouTube: The Story of Chanukah (Time: 3:30)

The Menorah or Hanukiyah

• The most important tradition of Hanukkah is the lighting of Hanukkah candles or lamps. A candle or lamp is lit on the evenings preceding the eight days of Chanukah.⁷ The candles are set in a Hanukiyah, better known as a Menorah, which is the Hebrew word meaning "candelabra."^{8 9} The eight lights symbolize the number of days that the oil burned during the re-dedication of the Holy Temple.¹⁰

• The menorah holds nine candles, one for each night of Hanukkah and an additional slot to hold the Shamash, the candle that is used to light the other candles. The Shamash should be set apart from the other lights. This is usually done by placing it higher than the other lights.¹¹ The following will give you a brief overview on how to light the Menorah.

• YouTube: Chanukah (Time: 3:18)

Where to Place the Menorah

• The menorah should be placed outside of the doorway on the left side (when entering) opposite the mezuzah.^{11 7} If this is not possible, it can be placed on a window sill facing a public street, providing the sill is not more than twenty-nine feet above street level.⁷ If neither of these are possible, the Menorah can be placed on a table inside the house.¹⁰

How to Light

• Hanukkah candles are traditionally lit shortly after sunset and should remain lit for at least 30 minutes.^{7 10}

1. Set up the Menorah by placing one candle for each night of Hanukkah. Candles are set starting from the far right.⁷
   • So, on the first night of Hanukkah you would have one candle in the last spot on the right and the Shamash.
2. Light the Shamash and hold it in your right hand.¹²
3. Say the appropriate Hanukkah blessings.
   • • The Shehechiyanu blessing is only recited the first night of Hanukkah while the First and Second blessings are recited every night of Hanukkah.
4. Light the candles starting from left to right.¹²
5. While the candles are lit, the Hanerot Hanalou is recited.¹⁰
6. Once the candles have been lit, the Maoz Tzur is often sung.¹⁰

• YouTube: How to Light the Chanukah Menorah (Time: 1:28)

• • For more information, check out Mahalo's How to Light Hanukkah Candles.

Special Shabbat Rules

• Special rules apply when a night of Hanukkah falls on or after the Sabbath because it is forbidden to light a fire on this day.¹³ The Jewish Sabbath, known as Shabbat, is observed from sundown on Friday until three stars appear in the sky on Saturday night (approximately 40 minutes after sunset).¹⁴

1. For nights that start on Friday, the menorah candles should be lit before the Shabbat candles are lit. Shabbat candles are usually lit about 18 minutes before sunset.⁷
2. For nights that fall on Saturday, wait until Shabbat ends before lighting the Menorah.⁷

The Dreidel

• A dreidel is a four-sided top. Each side has a different Hebrew letter inscribed on it. The letters are the first letters of "Ness Gadol Haya Sham," which means "Great Miracle Happened There."¹⁵ Dreidels were first used during the rule of Antiochus before the Maccabees' revolt.¹⁶ During this time, it was forbidden to study the Torah. Anyone studying the Torah would keep a dreidel handy and would then pull out a dreidel and pretend to be playing whenever soldiers investigated.¹¹

Playing Dreidel

• Dreidel is played by anteing coins (or some other object) into a pot. Then, each player spins the dreidel and one of four things happen, depending on which side the dreidel lands on:⁹

1. Shin means you lose your coins (one up to all of your coins, depending on how you play).¹⁶
2. Nun means nothing happens. You neither get coins, nor lose coins.¹¹
3. Hay means you take half the pot.⁹
4. Gimmel means you get the whole pot.¹¹

• • For more information, check out Mahalo's How to Play Dreidel and Dreidel Rules.

• YouTube: How to Play Dreidel (Time: 3:43)

Hanukkah Foods

• Because Hanukkah is a holiday that is centered around a miracle concerning oil, it is traditional to serve foods cooked in oil.⁷ The two most popular of these foods are potato latkes and sufganiot.¹⁷ Cheese is also a traditional food of Hanukkah, because the original latkes were made of cheese.¹⁸

• Latkes are a type of pancake. Although potato latkes have become the tradition, latkes can be made from cheese, vegetables and even fruit.¹⁹ Potato latkes are often dipped in or served with applesauce or sour cream.

• Sufganiyot are similar to jelly doughnuts without the hole. They are meant to be a reminder of the cakes prepared for the Maccabees before they went into battle.²⁰

• • For more information on Hanukkah foods check out Mahalo's How to Make Latkes, How to Make and Decorate Hanukkah Cupcakes, Hanukkah Recipes and Latke Recipes.

• YouTube: How to Make Sufganiyot: Ingredients (Time: 1:16)

Hanukkah Songs

• When you think of Hanukkah songs, Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song might be the first one that comes to mind. However, there are other songs that are more traditionally associated with Hanukkah. These songs include: Ma'oz Tzur, Mi Y'maleil, Oh Hanukkah, The Dreidel Song (I Have A Little Dreidel), Shalom Children!, Fire Is Hot, The Halachos Song (Do It Right On Chanukah Night), The Temple and Sivivon, Sov, Sov, Sov. ^{21 22}

• YouTube: Adam Sandler Original Chanukah (Hanukkah) Song (Time: 4:06)

Hanukkah Presents or Gelt

• Another tradition associated with Hanukkah is the giving of Hanukkah gelt. "Gelt" is a Yiddish term that means "money."²³ Typically, this tradition involves giving either real or chocolate coins to children, although other gifts can be given.²⁰ Gelt is given after the lighting of menorah.⁷

• You can find gelt online at a number of sites including:
  • Google Product Search: Chocolate Gelt
  • Chocolategelt.com: Chanukah Chocolate Gelt
  • Oh! Nuts: Chanukah (Hanukkah) Gelt
  • KosherCoins.com: Kosher Chocolate Coins
  • Metro Candy & Nut: Chocolate Coin Candy

Conclusion

• It's a whole new experience to learn how to celebrate a religious holiday that is different than your own traditions. It's important to remember that almost every religious holiday has an underling significance beyond its traditions. Holidays are about bringing friends and family together. If you keep that in mind, everything else will fall into place.

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References for How to Celebrate Hanukkah

1. ↑ About.com: When is Hanukkah 2008?  
2. ↑ History.com: Hanukkah
3. ↑ History.com: The History of Hanukkah
4. ↑ About.com: All About Hanukkah  
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} The Jewish Outreach Institute: History
6. ↑ Aish.com: What Is Chanukah?
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8} Chabad.org: Chanukah Guide
8. ↑ History.com: Traditions - The Menorah
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} The Jewish Outreach Institute: Hanukkah Menorah
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4} About.com: Instructions on How to Light the Hanukkah Menorah  
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4} Aish.com: Chanukah Primer
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Chabad.org: Lighting the Menorah
13. ↑ Chabad.org: Special Shabbat Rules
14. ↑ Jewish 101: Shabbat
15. ↑ Better Homes and Gardens: Hanukkah History & Traditions  
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} History.com: Traditions - Dreidel
17. ↑ Chabad.org: Chanukah Foods
18. ↑ The Jewish Outreach Institute: Hanukkah Food
19. ↑ History.com: Traditions - Latkes
20. ↑ ^{20.0 20.1} HowStuffWorks: How Hanukkah Works
21. ↑ The Jewish Outreach Institute: Hanukkah Songs
22. ↑ Aish.com: Chanukah Songs
23. ↑ The Jewish Outreach Institute: Gelt

How to Celebrate Hanukkah Videos

• YouTube: Chanukah (Time: 3:24)
• YouTube: The Story of Chanukah (Time: 3:30)
• YouTube: Chanukah (Time: 3:18)
• YouTube: How to Light the Chanukah Menorah (Time: 1:28)
• South Park Studios: Hanukkah (Time: 3:16)  
• YouTube: How to Make Sufganiyot: Ingredients (Time: 1:16)
• YouTube: Adam Sandler Original Chanukah (Hanukkah) Song (Time: 4:06)