The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah: what is it and how is it celebrated?

Hanukkah is one of the most important Jewish holidays of the year.

On what day does it start, how long does it last, and how is it celebrated?

We will answer all that.

In addition, you will be able to enjoy traditional Hanukkah dishes.

The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah

The meaning of the word Hanukkah is consecration. It is also called the Festival of Lights. Why is that so? What lights are these? It commemorates the time of the rededication of the second Jewish temple, which occurred after its desecration by the army of Antiochus IV.

The miracle that happened then is the subject of an annual celebration. Only one pot of oil was found in the temple, which was supposed to last only a day for lighting. However, the light burned for eight whole days. During this time, it was possible to press new oil and consecrate it.

Miracle Oil and Menorah

The central story takes place in 167 BC, seven years after the accession of Antiochus IV. Epiphanes on the Seleucid throne. He did not like the Jews very much, so he ordered their massacre and the looting of the Jewish temple. As a colossal provocation, he arranged for the erection of a statue of Zeus in the middle of the temple.

Against this, the Jewish priest Matthias rose with his five sons, Yochanan, Simeon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and Judah. A year later, the priest Matthias died, so his son Judah took his leading position in the rebellion. After another year, the Jewish temple was liberated and thus also rededicated. Judah and his brothers then proclaimed Hanukkah as a celebration of the occasion.

The temple was cleaned, and a new altar was built. On this occasion, however, they found only a single pot of sacred oil, which always lasted only one day. However, the menorah, the holy eight-branched candlestick, was to burn continuously throughout the night.

However, when the Menorah was lit, it burned for eight days, a great miracle because new oil was prepared. The Jewish sages then decided to preserve the commemoration of this event with an eight-day holiday.

When is Hanukkah celebrated?

Hanukkah consists of many ceremonies and customs, and typical foods, games, and songs accompany it. Everything occurs in a close family circle and at joint gatherings in the temple. People typically go to work during this time, but there are concessions during working hours so that the faithful can light their candles in time. However, Israeli children have a tremendous advantage because they do not go to school during this time.

Its beginning is dated to the 25th day of the month of Kislev, which, according to the Gregorian calendar, is the period between November 3 and December 4. Every year, the Hanukkah celebration begins on a different day.

Hanukkah’s most important symbol is the chanukiya, an eight-branched candlestick with an auxiliary arm for lighting the candle called a shamash (servant). Another candle must be lit within an hour after dark. A candle is added each day, so all the candles are lit on the last day of the holiday.

Hanukkah is usually placed in a window or near the front door as a reminder so that passers-by can see it.

Board games and gifts

Party games are also played on Hanukkah, the most famous of which is the Dreidel.

It is a wooden duck with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the four letters symbolizes the beginning of a word of the sentence, the whole of which reads: “A great miracle happened there.”

If they win, children can receive Hanukkah money, Yiddish, or Gelt. They are also presented with nuts or other small gifts.

Hanukkah recipes

During this holiday, most food is symbolically prepared with oil, preferably olive oil. This includes a variant of potato pancakes or doughnuts. Foods made from milk are also eaten, especially cheese, linked to the story of the pious widow Judith, who saved Israel from being cut off from water sources.

This courageous woman willingly allowed herself to be captured by the oppressors, the Assyrians, to save the people. Subsequently, she beckoned them with her beauty until she stunned the Assyrian general Holofernes.

She treated him to cheese and wine, but the general fell asleep under the weight of alcohol; Judit cut off his head in his sleep and brought it to Jerusalem as proof. This act prompted an attack by Israelite troops against the Assyrians, who were subsequently defeated, and Israel’s waters were redeemed.

Latkes

We can describe Latkes as pancakes made of potatoes.

INGREDIENTS

• 16 oz of potatoes
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 and ½ teaspoons of salt
• rapeseed oil for frying
• 2 tablespoons chopped spring onions

For Apple sauce:

• 3 sour apples,
  ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  2 teaspoons cinnamon
  ¾ teaspoon lemon juice
  ¾ teaspoon sugar
  sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Grate the potatoes coarsely.
• Put them in ice water, drain, put in a towel and squeeze well.
• Then mix with egg, salt, and flour.
• Then fry for 3 minutes on each side.
• To prepare applesauce, peel the apples and cut them into cubes.
• Fry them in oil, add spices, and let them simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Add a little water and mix occasionally.
• Finally, add sugar and lemon juice.
• We serve the pancakes smeared with sour cream, drizzled with apple sauce, and sprinkled with spring onions.

Kugel

It is a sweet noodle dessert that is typical for Hanukkah.

INGREDIENTS

• 15 oz of pasta
• ½ cup margarine
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 and ½ cups applesauce *(recipe above for Latkes)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 pinch of cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:

Let’s cook the pasta until semi-soft.

• Then drain them, mix in margarine, hard-boiled eggs, sugar, applesauce, and vanilla, and place in a baking dish.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 80°F until golden (20-30 minutes).

You can also watch the preparation in the following video:

How to Make Noodle Kugel | Kugel Recipe | Allrecipes.com

Jewish Donuts

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups plain flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 and ¼ teaspoons of dry yeast
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 2 large egg yolks
• ¾ cup warm milk
• 2 tablespoons of softened butter
• 6 cups of oil for frying
• ⅔ cup jam or jelly
• powdered sugar for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Put the flour and salt in a bowl.
• Pour milk into a hole in the flour, add yeast and sugar, and mix.
• Add butter and egg yolks and knead thoroughly.
• Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in volume.
• Then, roll the dough into a thin, flat cake and cut out circles about 2 inches in size.
• Place on a floured baking sheet and leave to rise under a towel for another 30 minutes.
• Then fry in hot oil until golden on each side.
• Fill with jelly or jam using a decoration.
• Let cool, sprinkle with sugar and serve.

Jewish Christmas Eve

Vanuka is not so well known in Europe yet, but New Yorkers, for example, know it very well.

A large number of Jews and Christians live there at the same time. Since these two camps have developed good bonds of friendship, it is customary to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah at the same time. Thus, Jewish and Christian customs are intermingled here, friends visit together, and Jewish and American dishes appear on the tables.