Hanukkah Celebrations Around the World

Judaism is one of the world’s five major religions. Originating from the holy city of Jerusalem, it’s now a truly global faith, bringing Jewish culture to every continent. For most, December means Christmas. But did you know there’s a festival just before just as meaningful? Hanukkah is the most important Jewish festival. Coming from the Hebrew word Chanukah, or “dedication”, it’s named as a celebration of the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in the Holy Land.

The History

For Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths, the Holy Land is the area between the Jordan River and Mediterranean, centering around the city of Jerusalem. Today, this area is known as Israel! During the 2nd Century BC, the Syrian-Greeks—a group known as the Seleucids—ruled the area. They tried forcing Greek culture on the native Israelis. To protect their belief in mitzvah—or commandment—a priest named Judah led a group of warriors known as the Maccabee in revolt. Eventually, they defeated the Greek Army and reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. However, upon victory, they discovered that the holy oil for candles had been destroyed by the Greek invaders. Only one day’s supply remained. In a miracle, this one day’s supply burned for the eight days it took for new candle oil to be made and the temple to be officially re-dedicated—giving rise to the eight days of Hanukkah.

The Celebrations

Hanukkah celebrations begin by lighting the Menorah, or Hanukiah. This candelabrum with nine branches symbolizes the candle that burned for eight days! One branch is placed above the others. Known as the Shamash, it’s used to light the rest of the candles. Every night for the eight days of celebration, the Shamash is used to light one more candle. Then the family gets together to sing, eat, and play! While they chant traditional songs, everyone plays Dreidel, a kind of Jewish dice. On each side of the top, the Hebrew letters nun, gimmel, hei, and shin are printed, meaning “a great miracle happened there.” And of course everyone eats too!  Favorite snacks include sufganiyot, or doughnuts, as well as latke, a type of pancake. To celebrate the oil-based origins of Hanukkah, the food is fried! 

Menorah Lightings

Hanukkah is the other festival of lights! Menorah lightings aren’t just in people’s houses—since the Chabad Hasidic movement of the 1970s, they’ve spread across several other open spaces. Look out for giant menorahs in malls and parks during the Hanukkah holidays!

Chanukah Gelt

For any kid, the most important part of Hanukkah is the presents! Modern society focuses more and more on ever-more expensive gifts for each days of Hanukkah. The original tradition, however, was a gift of the Chanukah Gelt. The Chanukah Gelt is also called the gift of money and is given as a reward for good behavior and dedication to the study of the Torah, the Jewish holy book. This money wasn’t for spending—it was to give children an opportunity to practice tzedakah, or charity, and donate it to needy causes. Today, the coin-giving ceremony has evolved into a slightly-less charitable gift of foil-covered chocolate!

The Light That Speaks

During the days of Hanukkah, families spend a lot of times watching the flickering flames of their Menorah. The Jewish people believe this light in fact speaks messages to them and if you pay close enough attention, you can understand them. Stand up for what is right. Improve on Torah-observance. And, most relevant for all of us: Drive the darkness away—a little light goes a long way.