Celebrating Hanukkah

We celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah in our house.  My son gets the best of both worlds!

Here are some Hanukkah facts that I found.  You can see how we tweak the rules in our house.  And some pics of Hanukkah in our house.

Interesting Hanukkah Facts

1) Hanukkah, known as the Festival of Lights, is a Jewish festival observed for eight nights & days.  The start date is on the 25th day of Kislev, according to the Hebrew calendar.  There are many variations of the spelling of Hanukkah.  “Hanukkah” is what I favor.

2) During the first night, a candle needs to be lit after the sun goes down that day. Friday is the beginning of Shabbat, so the Menorah must be lit before the first star appears.

3) The candles during the festival are placed in a candleholder, called a Menorah, from right to left.  They are lit from left to right. Except in our house, where I light whichever candle my son tells me he wants to see lit up.  We gamble on whichever candle will burn out first.

4) The Menorah has eight branches with an additional attendant candle, also known as shamash, which is used to light other candles.

5) Dreidel is a fun children’s game (and fun for the adults in our house too!).  The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side.  The four letters are “Nun, Hay, Gimel, Shin.”   The dreidel is spun and you bet on which Hebrew letter it will stop at.  The “pot” is often little chocolate coins covered in gold tin foil, called “gelt.”

6) The part my son likes best:  gifts!  The  tradition is to exchange gifts each night, which includes books or games.  Children also receive money as part of the tradition which is a recognition of their hard work and study.

Happy Hanukkah!

–Mellie