What is special about the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah? Why do we celebrate it? What is the origin of the name and everything else you wanted to know about Hanukkah?

Christians have Christmas, and Jews have the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. In our opinion, it is much cooler because they only have one day and we have eight. 

Why do Jews celebrate Hanukkah? 

The official reason is due to the miracle of the jug of oil that lasted for eight days. The historical background is as follows: After many years in which the Jews lived in the Land of Israel in relative autonomy and celebrated their feasts and kept their commandments without interruption, the Greek (Slovak) king Antiochus arrived and declared that the Jews should integrate more with the nations around the world and not observe important Jewish commandments. These decisions were called the decrees of Antiochus, their main purpose was to prevent the Jewish people from keeping the commandments of the Sabbath, performing circumcision, keeping kosher laws,  abolishing Jewish sacrifices at the Temple replacing them with unclean sacrifices and idol worship, and to abolish all Torah laws and replace them with the kings laws.

Matityahu the Hasmonean and his sons, led by Yehuda the Maccabee, fought in the sectors risking their lives. At the end of the war, they established the Jewish Kingdom after many years without a state or Kingdom. This Kingdom was known as the Kingdom of the Hasmoneans, and Hanukkah is celebrated in memory of the defeat of the Jewish Maccabees over the Greeks.

The origin of the name of the Jewish Hanukkah is the rededication of the Temple after the Greeks and the evil Antiochus defiled it. Some interpret the name also as “Camp on the 25th” The Hasmoneans arrived at the Temple on the 25th of the month of Kislev and purified it. It is also the Hebrew date on which Hanukkah is celebrated. 

The miracle of the Jug of oil is described in the Talmud it chronicles a miracle according to which when the Hasmoneans arrived at the Temple, they found only one jug of oil after the Greeks eliminated the rest. According to the Talmud, the jug was supposed to last for only one day, however, it lasted for eight days. This miracle is the reason for many holiday traditions.

Jewish Hanukkah customs

The most well-known custom on the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is the lighting of the candles on the Menorah. Each day one candle is lit, this goes on for eight days. The Menorah has nine candlesticks and not eight because one candle is the “Shamash”, which is used to light the other candles. 

Hanukkah candles may be observed but not touched. “Only to be seen” and it is customary to place the menorah on a windowsill. 

We light the Hannukah candles in memory of the miracle of the jug of oil and the lamp that was lit for eight days. Before lighting the candles we make blessings, on the first day three blessings and on the rest of the days two blessings. 

On the first day “Blessed are you, O our God, King of the world that we have lived and maintained and reached this time”.

On every other day the following two blessings.

“Blessed are you, O Lord, King of the world, whom we have sanctified by His commandments and commanded to light a Hanukkah candle”.

“Blessed are you, O Lord, King of the world, who performed miracles for our fathers, in those days, at that time”.

After the blessings, we sing the hymns “These Candles” and “Maoz Tzur Yeshuati”.

Another Jewish Hanukkah tradition associated with oil is eating oil-soaked foods, which are fattening but delicious. The most popular dish today is the donut, yeast dough fried in oil and stuffed with jam, although today there are lots of other versions with different fillings such as caramel, chocolate, or even liqueur. Another common dish is the Leviva (pancake), also a dish fried in oil and made from flour, eggs, and all kinds of vegetables. 

Another custom that children like to do on Hanukkah is playing with a sevivon (spinning top), a veteran four-cornered game. Children usually take turns spinning it on the floor, on each of the four corners is written a letter that stands for the sentence A great miracle occurred here. The children have to guess which letter will be on the top of the spinning top when it stops spinning. The child who guesses correctly is the winner.