Hanukkah where is it celebrated

Is Hanukkah the most important Jewish holiday? Ask any Rabbi and you'll get a resounding "no. Then why do people make such a big deal out of it? While for centuries many Jews have observed Hanukkah by lighting the hanukkiah, saying certain prayers, and eating certain foods, the all-out Hanukkah celebrations Americans are used to is a relatively new phenomenon. The simplest answer: It occurs roughly around Christmas, and companies are only too thrilled to capitalize on the timing.

Many of the newest customs are tongue-in-cheek concepts that directly poke fun at how much Hanukkah has been commodified to look like a "Jewish Christmas. Since Christmas is generally accepted as an important and universal experience in American childhood, kids of other faiths often feel left out of the celebrations. Due to the coincidental timing of Christmas and Hanukkah, some Jewish families participate in present exchanges and decorating.

Why do the dates of Hanukkah change every year? The dates of Jewish holidays are determined by the ancient Hebrew or Jewish calendar as opposed to the Gregorian calendar that was introduced in by Pope Gregory XIII, with which you are most familiar. The Hebrew calendar is based on a lunar cycle. So, while Hanukkah starts on the same day every year on the Hebrew calendar 25 Kislev , it doesn't sync perfectly with the Gregorian calendar, so it has a "different" date each year. It tends to fall somewhere between late November and late December.

Why are there so many different ways to spell Hanukkah and which one is right? The word Hanukkah is actually a transliteration and not a direct translation of the Hebrew word for dedication, so there will never be a perfect English spelling. On the first night two candles are placed in the menorah - the shammash and one candle in the most right position in the menorah. On the second night, another candle is added from right to left. This carries on through the eight nights until all the candles are in place and lit on the eighth and final night of the festival.

The shammash is lit first and is then used to light the other candles. The candles are lit from the left to right with the newest candle first. A special blessing, thanking God, is said before lighting the candles and a special Jewish hymn is often sung. The menorah is put in the front window of houses so people passing can see the lights and remember the story of Hanukkah.

Most Jewish families and households have a special menorah and celebrate Hanukkah. To find out more about lighting the candles in a Hanukkah menorah, please see this excellent page on How to Light the Hanukkah Candles from the PJ Library Hanukkah is also a time for giving and receiving presents and gifts are often given on each night.

Lots of games are played during the time of Hanukkah. The most popular is 'dreidel' Yiddish or 'sivivon' Hebrew. It's a four sided top with a Hebrew letter on each side. The four letter are the first letter of the phrase 'Nes Gadol Hayah Sham' which means 'A great miracle happened there' in Israel, 'there' is changed to 'here' so it's 'Nes Gadol Hayah Po'. Each player put a coin, nut or chocolate coin in a pot and the top is spun. Since then a festival of lights has been celebrated every year to remember the occasion.

Candles are lit for eight nights, and families eat foods cooked with oil and exchange presents. It has spots for nine candles — one for each night of Hanukkah and the extra candle, called the Shamash , is used to light all of the others.

The celebration moves around each year but almost always falls in the month of December. This year's celebrations might be a little different due to Covid and social distancing. Families may connect through social media and temple services may be online to ensure social distancing. Let's look at how Hanukkah is traditionally celebrated.

Each night at sundown, family and friends gather to light another candle on the hanukkiah. To celebrate the history of the holiday many traditional dishes are cooked using lots of oil.

Latkes are potato pancakes, fried and then served with applesauce or sour cream.