In 2021, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Sunday, November
28, and continues through Monday, December 6.
Each night, one additional candle is lit by the shamash until
all eight candles are lit together on the final night of the
festival. Other Hanukkah festivities include singing Hanukkah
songs, playing the game of dreidel and eating oil-based foods, such
as latkes and sufganiyot, and dairy foods.
The traditional Hanukkah candle lighting service consists of
saying all three blessings on the first night, and only the first
and second blessings for the seven nights to follow.
Transliteration: Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha'olam,
asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tsivanu l'hadlik ner shel
Hanukkah.
Hanukkah means “dedication” in Hebrew. The eight-day
holiday celebrates the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem
after it was retaken by the Maccabees, a group of Jewish warriors,
from the Greeks in the 2nd century BCE, as explained by Tablet
magazine.
During Hanukkah, on each of the eight nights, a candle is lit
in a special menorah (candelabra) called a 'hanukkiyah'. ... On
the first night one candle is lit, on the second night, two are lit
until all are lit on the eighth and final night of the festival.
Traditionally they are lit from left to right.
40 related questions found
The menorah (/məˈnɔːrə/; Hebrew: מְנוֹרָה Hebrew pronunciation:
[menoˈʁa]) is described in the Bible as the seven-lamp (six
branches) ancient Hebrew lampstand made of pure gold and used
in the tabernacle set up by Moses in the wilderness and later in
the Temple in Jerusalem.
One candle is lit on the first night, two on the second,
three on the third, through to the eighth night when all are lit. A
special prayer is recited during the lighting and while the candles
burn it is a time for songs and games, including the four-sided toy
called dreidel. The dreidel is popular among children.
When to Light
Chanukah candles should be lit within a half hour of
nightfall. This is because in previous generations there was
virtually no more traffic in the streets by a half hour after
nightfall.
A menorah, which has only seven candleholders, was the
lamp used in the ancient holy temple in Jerusalem — now a symbol of
Judaism and an emblem of Israel. A Hanukkiah, however, has nine
candlesticks — one for each night of Hanukkah and an extra one to
light the others.
These days, people also celebrate Hanukkah by eating foods fried
in oil, such as potato pancakes called latkes. There are
also customary games children play, like spinning a dreidel, and
they receive chocolate coins called gelt for victory.
10 Best Traditional Hanukkah Foods
Latkes.
Beef brisket.
Roasted chicken.
Kugel.
Matzo ball soup.
Rugelach.
Sufganiyot (Jelly-Filled Doughnuts)
Challah.
Keep reading for 29 of the best Hanukkah gifts anyone will
be happy to receive:
A candle inspired by holiday delicacies. ...
A set of high-quality olive oils. ...
A fun menorah. ...
A cocktail recipe book filled with holiday-inspired beverages.
...
Hanukkah's take on the advent calendar. ...
Latkes from the best of the best. ...
A mini waffle maker.
The seven-branched menorah was originally found in the
wilderness sanctuary and then later in the Temple in Jerusalem
and was a popular motif of religious art in antiquity. An
eight-branched menorah modeled after the Temple menorah is used by
Jews in rites during the eight-day festival of Hanukkah.
The golden menorah is located in the Jewish Quarter in the
Old City of Jerusalem.
The defining characteristic of a Hanukkah menorah is eight
lights in a row, with a ninth lamp off to the side or above,
separated from the other eight. The ninth lamp is called a shamash,
a “servator,” and it symbolically differentiates the eight holy
flames from other, mundane light sources.
7 Interesting Facts About the Hebrew Language for
Hanukkah. December 2nd marked the beginning of Hanukkah,
the Jewish Festival of Lights.
On the second night, light the candle second from the right,
then the candle on the far right, and replace the lit shamash.
You'll repeat this pattern for each night of Hanukkah, always
lighting the newest candle first. On the eighth night, you'll be
lighting all of the candles, starting at the far left.
After the first night of Chanukah, add one candle for each
night, starting from the right-most slot and going left. For
instance, on the second night of Chanukah, place the shamash candle
in its slot and the candle representing the first night of Chanukah
in the right-most slot.
In order to rededicate the temple, the Maccabees had to light a
menorah that would burn within the temple at all times. However,
they only had enough pure olive oil to last for one day.
Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, leaving time to
find a fresh supply of oil.
The most famous symbol of Hanukkah is the hanukkiah, the
nine-branched candelabra which is lit each night, and can often be
seen in house windows. Hanukkah celebrations are centred around
lighting the hanukkiah, and families will gather to light the
candles together.
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday which celebrates the victory of
the Maccabees over the larger Syrian army. It also celebrates a
miracle that happened during this time, where just a day's supply
of oil allowed the menorah (Hanukkiah or Hanukkah Menorah) in the
rededicated Temple in Jerusalem to remain lit for eight days.
One of the most popular foods eaten during Hanukkah are
latkes, which are fried potato pancakes. Some Jewish people
eat latkes sweet, accompanied with apple sauce, while others prefer
them savoury, served with sour cream. Either way, they're a treat
for the taste buds.
