Hanukkah
The Feast of Lights
On the stove, crisp potato pancakes sputter in a skillet. In a corner,
children spin square tops on the floor. On the table, candles twinkle in
a candleholder. It’s Hanukkah [(hah]{.smallcaps} nu kah), the Jewish
Feast of Lights.
Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days. It starts on the eve of the 25th
day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, which falls in November or December.
Hanukkah means \”dedication.” It is a festival in honor of a marvelous
event that happened more than two thousand years ago.
At that time, the land of Israel was ruled by the Syrians. The Syrians
had forbidden the
On the fifth night of Hanukkah, five of the candles on the menorah,
or candleholder, are lighted. On this night, children are given coins
and other gifts.
Jews to practice their religion. For three years, an army of Jewish
rebels fought to free their land. In a great victory, they managed to
recapture Jerusalem, the most important city of Israel.
The Jews then began special ceremonies to make the great Temple of
Jerusalem holy again. One of the things they had to do was relight the
Temple lamp. This lamp was supposed to burn at all times. But only a
special oil, blessed by the priests, could be burned in the lamp.
The Jewish leaders found only a tiny jar of the special oil—just about
enough to keep the lamp going for one day. It would take eight days to
get more oil prepared. Rather than wait, they lit the lamp. They were
amazed when the lamp burned steadily for eight days, until the new oil
was ready.
The eight days of Hanukkah are in memory of the eight days the lamp
stayed lit. A special symbol of Hanukkah is an eight- branched
candlestick called a menorah (muh NAWR uh). On each day of Hanukkah, the
candles are lit—one on the first day, two on the second day, and so on
until, on the eighth day, all eight candles glow. A ninth candle, called
the shammash, or \”servant,” is used to light the other candles. Some
menorahs have a ninth branch to hold the shammash.
Hanukkah is a cheerful time. There may be a party to which friends and
relatives are invited. A special Hanukkah food is potato pancakes,
called latkes. Children often receive coins and other gifts.
Each evening, after the candles are lit, the family may sing songs and
play games. Some games are played with a special Hanukkah toy—a square
top called a dreidel [(dray]{.smallcaps} duhl). On each of the four
sides of a dreidel there is a Hebrew letter. The letters stand for the
words Ness gadol hay a sham, which means \”A great miracle happened
there.”
Twirl about, dance about, spin, spin, spin!
Turn, Dreidel, turn— Time to begin!
Soon it is Hanukkah— Fast, Dreidel, fast!
For you will lie still When Hanukkah’s past.
Dreidel Song by Efraim Rosenzweig
