Hanukkah

It is a religious holiday. However it is not a holiday prescribed by the Torah, but was added at a later time by the Rabbis as a celebration of the miracle of the jug of oil. Therefore we are not forbidden from performing any acts of creation, as we are on the Sabbath or holidays that come from the Torah.

Purim is another holiday prescribed by the sages (the last of the prophets), and therefore is also not a Holy day.

Hanukkah is an 8 day holiday. If you are talking about the first night of Hanukkah, then it has happened only four times in the last 100 years: in 1918, 1921, 1959 and 2005.

If you are talking about years that Hanukkah overlapped with Christmas, there are more than 50 in the last 100 years.

It overlapped in 2011. The next time will be 2016.

Hanukkah IS a festival.

Hanukkah always starts on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev, and lasts for eight days. The Hebrew calendar does not line up with the western calendar because it has a completely different leap year system that can shift holidays each year by to 11-28 days.

Here are the coinciding secular dates for the upcoming years. The candle lightings begin on the evening BEFORE the first date:

2014: December 16-24

2015: December 6-14

There are no additional food restrictions during this holiday, (besides the ones always in effect, kashrut (the rules in order to be kosher)). However, it is traditional to eat gelt (chocolate coins) and foods fried in oil, like sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) and latkes (potato pancakes).

The Festival of Lights is another name for Hanukkah.

Hanukkah (Hebrew: חֲנֻכָּה‎, Tiberian: Ḥănukkāh, nowadays usually spelled חנוכה pronounced [χanuˈka] in Modern Hebrew, also romanized as Chanukah), also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE, and the miracle of the oil. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.

The Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks) under Antiochus Epiphanes, at the instigation of the Hellenizers, had forbidden various Torah-practices, such as Sabbath-observance, and pressed the Jews to offer up idolatrous sacrifices. The Hasmoneans (a family of religious Jews) fought to retake the Holy Temple, which had been seized by the Seleucids, and to enable the people to once again observe the Torah. When they reached the Temple grounds, they found only one day's supply of unsullied olive oil, but the oil lamps miraculously burned for eight days (Talmud, Shabbat 21b), allowing enough time for new oil to be prepared and brought.

The significance of the miracle is that it demonstrated that God's presence still dwelt in the Holy Temple.

The Torah Sages instituted the festival of Hanukkah at that time (Talmud, Shabbat 21b), to publicize the miracle (Rashi commentary, ibid). The eight-day rededication of the Temple is also mentioned in the book of Maccabees (I, 4:36; and II, 1:18); and Josephus mentions the eight-day festival in Antiquities ch.12.

The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a special candelabrum, the nine-branched Menorah or Hanukiah, one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. The typical Menorah consists of 9 branches. An extra light called a shamash (Hebrew: שמש, "attendant") is also lit each night for the purpose of lighting the others, and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest. The "shamash" symbolically supplies light that may be used.

The Hindu Festival of lights is Deepavali or Diwali.

Buddhism also has a Light Festival.

There are also many local non-religious Festivals of Light, especially during the winter holiday season.

Hanukkah always starts on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev, and lasts for eight days. It ends on the 2nd or 3rd of Tevet, depending on the year.

The Hebrew calendar does not line up with the Western calendar because it has a completely different leap year system that can shift holidays each year by 11 to 28 days. Hanukkah always begins in December or late November.

Here are the coinciding secular dates for the upcoming years. The candle lightings begin on the evening BEFORE the first date:

2013: November 27-December 5

2014: December 16-24

2015: December 6-14

The lyrics are exactly the same regardless of what instrument is played along with them:

I have a little dreidel. I made it out of clay.

When it's dry and ready, then dreidel I shall play.

Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made it out of clay.

Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, then dreidel I shall play.

It has a lovely body, with legs so short and thin.

When it gets all tired, it drops and then I win!

Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, with leg so short and thin.

Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, it drops and then I win!

My dreidel's always playful. It loves to dance and spin.

A happy game of dreidel, come play now let's begin.

Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, it loves to dance and spin.

Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel. Come play now let's begin.

I have a little dreidel. I made it out of clay.

When it's dry and ready, dreidel I shall play.

Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made you out of clay.

Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, then dreidel I shall play.

Chanukah lights need to burn for at least 1/2 hour after sunset. So, you can light earlier (e.g. on Friday when you need to light before Shabbat) as long as they are big enough candles or sufficient oil to remain lit for 30 minutes after sunset.

In 2021, Hanukkah begins on Sunday Nov. 28 and runs through Monday Dec. 6.

For the Hanukkah menorah (chanukiah), any kind of candle that will fit, provided they burn at least 1/2 hour after dusk.

They aren't. They are the colors of the flag of Israel, though.

There are no traditional colors for Hanukkah.

But because of Influence by Christmas (namely the fact the Christmas has traditional colors), Jewish people took the colors of the Israeli Flag (blue and white) and made them Hanukkah colors. But this practice is only about 40 years old.

The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, whilst the Gregorian calendar is a Solar Calendar, therefore they have different months.

Often the Hebrew month of Kislev, which is the month in which Chanuka falls, will correlate to the Gregorian month of December, so it is common for Chanuka to fall in December.

The way the Hebrew calendar is formed, the correlation between with the Gregorian months do not vary a great deal, as leap years occur periodically keeping the Hebrew months in the same season each year. This differes from the Islamic calendar, which is a purely lunar calendar - explaining why the month of Ramadan will occur at a different time of the Gregorian calendar every year.

The first candle goes into the holder furthest right on the menorah with the shamash (the attendant candle, used to light the others, placed in its own holder which will be either higher, lower or otherwise separate from the others. On the second night, another candle is placed in the next holder to the left. The newest candle is lit first, then the next to the right and so on.

The story of Hanukkah is not in the bible. When the war between the Jews and the Syrian-Greeks occurred in 165 BCE, the Hebrew Bible was already written.

The Story of Hanukkah is recorded in the Apocryphal book of the Maccabees and in the Talmud (Shabbat 21b).

The rituals: lighting the Hanukkah-menorah and saying the appropriate blessings and prayers.

The tradition:

The Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks) under Antiochus Epiphanes (2nd century BCE), at the instigation of the Hellenizers, had forbidden various Torah-practices in Judea, such as Sabbath-observance and circumcision, rededicated the Temple to a Greek idol, and pressed the Jews to offer up idolatrous sacrifices. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the Hasmoneans (a family of religious Jews) fought to retake the Holy Temple, which had been seized by the Seleucids, and to enable the people to once again observe the Torah. The Hasmoneans (also called Maccabees) were miraculously victorious. When they reached the Temple grounds, they immediately reconsecrated it to God. As part of this action, they relit the Menorah (Exodus ch.25), which was fueled with olive oil. However, it soon became apparent that there was only sufficient oil to keep the candelabra burning for one single day - and it would take eight days to make and bring some more.

Miraculously, the menorah stayed lit for eight days (Talmud, Shabbat 21b), allowing enough time for new oil to be prepared and brought.

The significance of the miracle is that it demonstrated that God's presence still dwelt in the Holy Temple. This is what Hanukkah represents: the closeness to God; and the avoidance of Hellenization (assimilation).

The Torah Sages instituted the festival of Hanukkah at that time (Talmud, Shabbat 21b), to publicize the miracle (Rashi commentary, ibid). This is why we light our Hanukkah-menorahs.

(The Hanukkah-menorah, or hanukkiyah, is a special form of the original seven-branched menorah. Our Hanukkah-menorahs have eight spaces for oil, or candles, to mark each of the eight days for which the oil lasted and a ninth to hold the shamash, a candle used to light the others.)

The Al-Hanisim prayer which we recite during Hanukkah centers around the Hasmoneans' victory and rededication of the Temple, while the candle-lighting commemorates the miracle of the oil.

Though the military victory is prominently mentioned in the prayers, it wouldn't have been celebrated if not for the miracle of the oil.

It should also be noted that the main goal for which the Maccabees fought was not political independence. They fought to enable the people to observe the Torah's commandments; as we say in the Al Hanisim prayer: "the Greeks sought to cause us to forget Your Torah and leave Your statutes."

Latkes (potato pancakes) are usually cooked by frying them in oil. The oil commemorates the oil that burned in the 7-branched menorah in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem for eight days despite there only being enough for one day, allowing the Maccabees enough time to prepare more oil. (The Maccabees were in the process of reinstating Jewish rule in Judea after they defeated the Seleucid Empire). Other foods cooked in oil are also traditionally eaten at Hanukkah, such as sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts).

Many families have the custom of giving presents on Hanukkah; some on every night of the 8 nights, some on a single night.

This is a custom that has no firm basis in Jewish law.

Gift giving is most common among American and Canadian Jews, but it's a custom that only started a few decades ago due to influence from Christmas.

If gifts are exchanged, they are usually given each night during the 8 nights of the holiday. There is no rule about how many presents are given each night, but it is often 1 per night.

It is more traditional to give money or chocolate coins than gifts.

black and orange der de der

The main sanctuary lamp is extinguished at the end of Mass on Holy Thursday. However, the blessed sacrament is held in reserve in a separate chapel or on a separate smaller altar and a lamp is kept burning there. It is extinguished after the communion service on Good Friday and the main lamp remains dark until after blessing of the new fire at the Easter Vigil Mass.

Hanukkah always starts on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev, and lasts for eight days. The Hebrew calendar does not line up with the western calendar because it has a completely different leap year system that can shift holidays each year by to 11-28 days.

Here are the coinciding secular dates for the upcoming years. The candle lightings begin on the evening BEFORE the first date:

2011: December 20-28

2012: December 8-16

2013: November 27-December 5

2014: December 16-24

2015: December 6-14

The menorah holds nine candles. Eight of these candles each symbolize one of the eight days of the celebration of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. The ninth holder, called the shamash is for a candle used to light all the other candles.