Hanukkah
By: Tyler Marcum
Hanukkah also known as the Festival of Lights is an eight day Jewish holiday. Hanukkah is celebrated 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 festival is observed by the lighting of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched menorah. You light one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. The typical menorah consists of eight branches with an additional visually distinct branch. The extra light is called a shamash and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest of the branches. The purpose of the shamash is to have a light available for practical use, as using the Hanukkah lights themselves for purposes other than publicizing and meditating upon Hanukkah is forbidden.
Typically every night children get one different gift every night. A Jewish tradition is also to play with a dreidel, and cook foods made with oil. The tradition of giving gifts for Hanukkah did not start until the late 19th century. That was when Christmas starting getting more and more popular, so Hanukkah had its own twist as well.
The festival is observed by the lighting of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched menorah. You light one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. The typical menorah consists of eight branches with an additional visually distinct branch. The extra light is called a shamash and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest of the branches. The purpose of the shamash is to have a light available for practical use, as using the Hanukkah lights themselves for purposes other than publicizing and meditating upon Hanukkah is forbidden.
Typically every night children get one different gift every night. A Jewish tradition is also to play with a dreidel, and cook foods made with oil. The tradition of giving gifts for Hanukkah did not start until the late 19th century. That was when Christmas starting getting more and more popular, so Hanukkah had its own twist as well.