Happy Hanukkah!
I've seen it spelled different ways, which complicates writing about it. Chanukah is the Jewish eight-day wintertime festival of lights, beginning with lighting one candle and nightly another on the menorah along with special prayers, songs, games, and foods. I had always heard of it as the eight-day miracle of the oil lasting during a siege.
The word means dedication because it celebrates the re-dedication of the Temple. It is also commonly spelled Hanukkah but it is pronounced (or so I read) with a gutteral 'kh' sound.
I first learned of the dreidel when our son was in grade school and the teacher arranged for a Jewish student's mother to explain some of the traditions to the class.
This year Hallmark has had two movies involving Hanukkah, which has involved one of the characters being Jewish and sharing part of the tradition with the other who celebrated Christmas. It's been a nice tough, I thought, to their holiday season plots.
Whatever the case, it is part of this holiday season of lights. I found this image in Stencil and the quote one of those online that represent the meaning behind the celebration.
4 comments:
Hannukah was a big part of my childhood. We lived in the Jewish part of town, the kids on my street and at school were mostly Jewish. On Jewish holy days there were so few kids in attendance at school that they would put all of us 'Gentile' kids into a single class for the day. Every morning at this time of year the whole school would gather in the L-shaped hallway to sing Christmas carols and Hannukah songs. I liked some of the Hannukah songs better than the Christmas carols.
The melodies of those songs are beautiful. Sounds like you had some beautiful experiences. I have several Jewish friends that do celebrate these days. I worry when I write about them from outside that I'll get it wrong. Hanukkah has several possible spellings, which complicates it.
The best parts of religion are a celebration of joy and light.
That is so true, Tabor
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