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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• by Darcy Logan

• The menorah should be placed outside of the doorway on the left side (when entering) opposite the mezuzah.Aish.com: Chanukah Primer Chabad.org: Chanukah Guide 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.Chabad.org: Chanukah Guide If neither of these are possible, the Menorah can be placed on a table inside the house.About.com: Instructions on How to Light the Hanukkah Menorah

• Hanukkah candles are traditionally lit shortly after sunset and should remain lit for at least 30 minutes.Chabad.org: Chanukah Guide About.com: Instructions on How to Light the Hanukkah Menorah

1. Set up the Menorah by placing one candle for each night of Hanukkah. Candles are set starting from the far right.Chabad.org: Chanukah Guide
   • 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.Chabad.org: Lighting the Menorah
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.Chabad.org: Lighting the Menorah
5. While the candles are lit, the Hanerot Hanalou is recited.About.com: Instructions on How to Light the Hanukkah Menorah
6. Once the candles have been lit, the Maoz Tzur is often sung.About.com: Instructions on How to Light the Hanukkah Menorah

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

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

• 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.Chabad.org: Special Shabbat Rules 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).Jewish 101: Shabbat

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.Chabad.org: Chanukah Guide
2. For nights that fall on Saturday, wait until Shabbat ends before lighting the Menorah.Chabad.org: Chanukah Guide

• 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."Better Homes and Gardens: Hanukkah History & Traditions Dreidels were first used during the rule of Antiochus before the Maccabees' revolt.History.com: Traditions - Dreidel 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.Aish.com: Chanukah Primer

• 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:The Jewish Outreach Institute: Hanukkah Dreidels

1. Shin means you lose your coins (one up to all of your coins, depending on how you play).History.com: Traditions - Dreidel
2. Nun means nothing happens. You neither get coins, nor lose coins.Aish.com: Chanukah Primer
3. Hay means you take half the pot.The Jewish Outreach Institute: Hanukkah Dreidels
4. Gimmel means you get the whole pot.Aish.com: Chanukah Primer

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

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

• Because Hanukkah is a holiday that is centered around a miracle concerning oil, it is traditional to serve foods cooked in oil.Chabad.org: Chanukah Guide The two most popular of these foods are potato latkes and sufganiot.Chabad.org: Chanukah Foods Cheese is also a traditional food of Hanukkah, because the original latkes were made of cheese.The Jewish Outreach Institute: Hanukkah Food

• Latkes are a type of pancake. Although potato latkes have become the tradition, latkes can be made from cheese, vegetables and even fruit.History.com: Traditions - Latkes 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.HowStuffWorks: How Hanukkah Works

• • 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)

• Another tradition associated with Hanukkah is the giving of Hanukkah gelt. "Gelt" is a Yiddish term that means "money."The Jewish Outreach Institute: Gelt Typically, this tradition involves giving either real or chocolate coins to children, although other gifts can be given.HowStuffWorks: How Hanukkah Works Gelt is given after the lighting of menorah.Chabad.org: Chanukah Guide

• 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

• 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.