Jewish Holy Day - Hanukkah
Fizza Sikandar
REL 134
December 20, 2010
Jim Davidson

Jewish Holy Day – Hanukkah Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that celebrates for eight days and nights. Jewish holy day Hanukkah is the holy celebration for Jewish people, which starts on 25th of the Jewish month. The Jewish month of Kislev, the Kislev is the month that starts from late November to late December on Jewish calendar. The story of Hanukkah begins in the time in power of Alexander the Great. Alexander overpowers the Syria, Egypt, and Palestine, which he permits the lands under his control to continue own religions, tradition, and keep hold of a certain degree of self-government. The word “Hanukkah” owns it meaning from Hebrew language as “Dedication.” The dedication is best reminder of holiday re-dedication of the holy temple in Jerusalem, when Jewish won the victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 BCE. After making Hanukkah as the holiday for eight days and night, many Jewish people did not give more important to Hanukkah as the Jewish holiday. However, in modern days, Hanukkah has become popular and modern practice as same as Christmas. Hanukkah starts on the twenty-fifth day of the Kislev (Jewish month). Hanukkah holiday do compare to Christmas holiday because Hanukkah usually falls between late November and late December and mostly celebrates in Christian societies. Hanukkah has some similarity to Christmas because during the Hanukkah festive, all the Jewish children receive gifts on every day of the festive. The Hanukkah holiday has its own traditions and most of traditions are changed is most of communities. However, popular Hanukkah traditions are almost universally practices by all the Jewish people. The Hanukkah most unique and popular traditions, includes the lighting of hanukkiyah, spinning the dreidel and also eating fried foods during the celebration time. Lighting the Hanukkiyah is most brilliant and unique tradition that follow in every Jewish communities during Hanukkah’s Days. The Hanukkah days are incomplete without lighting of candles. The candles are arranges into a candelabrum that also calls as menorah. The Jewish people light Hanukkiyah every year, which is traditional make with the miracle of the Hanukkah oil to lights the candles on a Hanukkiyah. The Hanukkiyah is lit in every night for eight nights during the holiday. Spinning the dreidel is popular Hanukkah game, which has also plays most during the holiday days. The game is designed into four-side top with Hebrew letters written on each side. The word Dreidel is a Yiddish word from German word ‘drehen’, which stands for “to turn.” Each side of dreidel has one Hebrew letter along with different letters. Each letter on dreidel are includes as symbol word, which are נ (Nun), ג (Gimmel), ה (Hay) and ש (Shin). The Hebrew phrase "Nes Gadol Haya Sham" is the phrase, which stand for "A great miracle happened there [in Israel]." Hanukkah is another celebration that full with traditional food during holidays. The Hanukkah holiday brings more fried foods because Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of oil. The other main tradition of Hanukkah is to eat fried foods. The fired food includes as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly filled doughnuts) during the holiday. 1. Latkes: pancakes are making with potatoes and onions, fried in oil, and served with applesauce. 2. Sufganiyot: doughnuts with jelly and fried in oil along with raw sugar on top of the doughnuts.
The Hanukkah popular food and gift is Hanukkah Gelt. Gelt is the coin shaped piece of chocolate wrapped in gold or silver foil. Hanukkah is not popular Jewish holiday but is most celebrates in America as the spirit of great fun for people of all ages. All the other Jewish holiday are popular, require intense spiritual reflection, and more preparation. However, Hanukkah is the holiday to celebrate with family, have fun with children, share love, care, and gifts of smile because is less traditions and easy to celebrate. The important message of Hanukkah is to believe in faith, action, and strengthen of Jewish religions.

References Joshua Gussmann. (2010, December 20). The festival of lights: Jewish people and Hanukkah. Berliner Morgenpost: Berliner Allgemeine, p. 1. Retrieved December 20, 2010, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 2217144451). Phyllis Steinberg. (2010, December 19). LOCAL STUDENTS LIGHT UP HANUKKAH CELEBRATIONS. South Florida Sun - Sentinel, 2. Retrieved December 20, 2010, from Sun Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale). (Document ID: 2216711821).