Hanukkah 2012 Is Here!

Nathan Young

11 years ago

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Hanukkah 2012 is here! Hanukkah or Chanukah is an eight-day holiday from Saturday December 8th to Sunday December 16th commemorating the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar. The Jewish holiday celebrates the triumphs of ancient Jewish heroes and is often filled with food, games, and blessings. Outside of the Jewish culture; Hanukkah is often not as well-known as Christmas. But this is the Jewish way of enjoying the holiday season!

The main tradition of Hanukkah is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched Menorah which symbolizes the burning light in the temple. The Menorah has nine branches with a taller branch in the middle. Each evening another branch is lit with a special blessing. The popular toy during Hanukkah is the Dreidel. Which I really did not know what it is about until researching it. The four sides has the Hebrew letters “nun, gimel, hay, and shin.” And they stand for “a great miracle happened here.”

Each year some great videos about Hanukkah comes out. And I have found two great videos to share! This first video features a Rube Goldberg machine having a robot lighting the Menorah. The second video shows the Pella Singers sing a capella mashup of the eight nights of Hanukkah.

Hanukkah is often talked about in a funny way in America and is not taken as seriously by the non-Jewish crowd in this country. But the holiday has a important meaning just like Christmas and the other holidays. The holidays is all about spending time with family and friends! That is the meaning of this time of the year. So enjoy the Menorah or the Christmas tree and have a great holiday. No matter what you are celebrating!