Hanukkah
The Festival of Lights
Hanukkah, the "Festival of Lights," starts on the
25th day of the Jewish calendar month of Kislev and lasts
for eight days and nights. In 2005 Hanukkah begins at sundown
on December 25. With blessings, games, and festive foods,
Hanukkah celebrates the triumphs—both religious and military—of
ancient Jewish heroes.
Hanukkah is a relatively minor holiday in the Jewish year.
In the United States, however, its closeness to Christmas
has brought greater attention to Hanukkah and its gift-giving
tradition. Amid the ever-growing flood of Christmas advertising,
it may seem especially fitting that the Hanukkah story tells
of Jewish culture surviving in a non-Jewish world.
The Hanukkah Story
Nearly 2,200 years ago, the Greek-Syrian ruler Antiochus IV
tried to force Greek culture upon peoples in his territory.
Jews in Judea—now Israel—were forbidden their most
important religious practices as well as study of the Torah.
Although vastly outnumbered, religious Jews in the region
took up arms to protect their community and their religion.
Led by Mattathias the Hasmonean, and later his son Judah the
Maccabee, the rebel armies became known as the Maccabees.
After three years of fighting, in the year 3597, or about
165 B.C.E., the Maccabees victoriously reclaimed the temple
on Jerusalem's Mount Moriah. Next they prepared the temple
for rededication—in Hebrew, Hanukkah means "dedication."
In the temple they found only enough purified oil to kindle
the temple light for a single day. But miraculously, the light
continued to burn for eight days.
The Menorah 
The lighting of the menorah, known in Hebrew as the hanukiya,
is the most important Hanukkah tradition. A menorah is a candlestand
with nine branches. Usually eight candles—one for each
day of Hanukkah—are of the same height, with a taller
one in the middle, the shamash ("servant"), which
is used to light the others. Each evening of Hanukkah, one
more candle is lit, with a special blessing.
The menorah symbolizes the burning light in the temple, as
well as marking the eight days of the Hanukkah festival. Some
say it also celebrates the light of freedom won by the Maccabees
for the Jewish people.
The Dreidel 
Long a favorite Hanukkah toy, the dreidel once had a serious
purpose. When the Syrians forbid study of the Torah, Jews
who studied in secret kept spinning tops—sivivons, or
dreidels—on hand. This way, if they were found studying,
they could quickly pretend that they had only been playing.
Outside of Israel, a dreidel has the Hebrew letters "nun,"
"gimel," "hay," and "shin" on
its four sides. These letters stand for "Nes gadol haya
sham," which means, "A great miracle happened there,"
referring to Israel. An Israeli dreidel has the letter "pay"
rather than "shin." This stands for "poh,"
meaning "here"—"a great miracle happened
here."
The Hebrew letters also represent Yiddish words that tell
how to play the dreidel game. Each player starts with the
same amount of candies, chocolate coins (gelt), or other tokens,
and puts one in a pot. Players take turns spinning the dreidel,
waiting to see which letter lands face up. Nun is for "nisht,"
nothing—do nothing. Gimel is for "gants," whole—take
the whole pot. Hay is for "halb," half—take
half. Shin is for "shtel," to put in—add to
the pot. The game ends when a single player wins all the tokens.
Hanukkah Foods
Many traditional Hanukkah foods are cooked in oil, in remembrance
of the oil that burned in the temple. In the United States,
the most widespread Hanukkah food is latkes, or potato pancakes,
a custom that may have developed in Eastern Europe. In Israel,
the favorite Hanukkah food is sufganiya, a kind of jelly donut
cooked in oil. Israelis eat sufganiyot for more than a month
before the start of Hanukkah.
Eating dairy products, especially cheese, is another Hanukkah
tradition. This is done in memory of the Jewish heroine Judith,
who according to legend saved her village from Syrian attackers.
Judith fed wine and cheese to the Syrian general Holofernes
until he became so drunk that he fell to the ground. She then
seized his sword and cut off his head, which she brought back
to her village in a basket. The next morning, Syrian troops
found the headless body of their leader and fled in terror.
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