30 amazing facts about Hanukkah who will make your holidays bright

The Light Festival is quite complex. Here are all the facts you need to know about Hanoukka!


Every year, millions of world Jews come together with friends and family toCelebrate Hanoukka, the Jewish Festival of Lights. The holidays have become associated with light candles, eating pancakes of potatoes andgive presents. But what else do you know about Hanoukka? Of course, you probably know that it lasts eight nights - but do you know why? Well, it is a commemoration of the Jews' revolt against the Syrian king Antiochus Epiiphanies, during which a day of oil burned eight nights for Jewish warriors called Maccabees.

And there is so much more for the holidays that even those who celebrate the knowledge. Origins of his name to the celebrations outside the world, read it to discover the mostIncredible facts about Hanoukka.

1
Hanoukka was celebrated in space.

astronaut working in space with earth in the background, did you know
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Christmas is not just the only holiday astronauts have brought with them to space. In 1993, while on board the spatial shuttleEffortastronautJeffrey Hoffman broughtMenorah (the hanukkah candle holder) and adreidel (The celebration of the party), which he played on a television show at the Hanukka celebration. Hoffman-Nasa's first Jewish astronaut - also made history in 1985 when he brought aTorah (The Book Saint Jew) in space for the first time.

2
Give gifts on Hanukkah Christmas stems.

blue and white gifts with star of david on them for hanukkah
iStock / MarkCoffeephot

While gifts are frequently traded on Hanukka,Rabbi Dave Mason, author ofThe age of prophecy, says it's actually a relatively modern practice.

"It's a custom that has recently started in mainly Christian countries so that Jewish children do not feel jealous of their Christian friends at Christmas," he explains.

3
Hanoukka moves on the calendar.

woman circling date on a calendar, bad parenting advice
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As you find Christmas and other religious holidays on fixed dates on the Gregorian calendar, Hanukka moves from year to year. It's because the holidays begin on the 25th ofKislev On the Hebrew calendar, which does not completely deal with Gregorian, there thus counted the accounting of the holidays jumping from the date to date in the fall and winter.

4
Hanukka can start every day of the week, with the exception of a Tuesday.

hanukkah on date in planner
iStock / Kameleon007

Jewish holidays, likeYom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, can only fall a few days of the week to avoid coinciding with the Sabbath,Shabbat. However, Hanukka has less limitations and can start every day of the week except Tuesday, according to Chabad. It is due to the fact that the month before Kislev,Cheshvan, can be 29 or 30 days.

5
The donuts are consumed on Hanoukka to recall the original miracle that the party commemorates.

jelly donuts
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Never asked why frozen donuts, orsufganiyot, are traditionally served in Hanukka? Mason explains that fries, like donuts, recall the original miracle Hanukkah from the oil burning for eight days.

6
Like a lot!

stack of latkes on white plate
iStock / HDESERT

The same for potato pancakes orLetkes, which are traditionally eaten during the holidays. "These are foods particularly saturated with oil, they help us remember the miracle," says Mason.

7
Before the latkes are made from potatoes, they were made of cheese.

assorted cheeses on table
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According toChabadeThe pancakes originally served during Hanukka were not introduced with potatoes - they were made of cheese. The cheese formerly used in Latkes was supposed to recall how Judith saved the Jews of the Assyrian General Holofernes by attracting it first with a meal containing lay and finally stripping it.

8
Letkes are a European invention - and a modern too.

white man frying latkes in silver pan
iStock / y.gurevich

According toEncyclopedia of Jewish FoodFor many years, the Germans of the upper class rejected the pancake of the potato, because the potatoes were considered a lower class food. It was not until the 1840s that the tradition of potato lakes took on and only as a result of a crop failure that has decreased the availability of grain and potato a more common food in all of Europe.

9
The name of the party is spelled in different ways due to a translation problem.

blue star of david hanukkah decoration and wreath
iStock / Kameleon007

Have you ever wondered why Hanoukka has more than one spelling accepted in English? Since the English language has no direct equivalent to the letter "cheese"With whom the word Hanukka starts in Hebrew, it is commonly spelled at once Hanukka and English in English to reflect the pronunciation of the Hebrew letter.

10
The United States houses the largest Menorah in the world.

world's largest menorah outdoors in new york city
iStock / ScooterReReCaster

TheThe largest Menorah in the world was built and enlightened in New York at the corner of the fifth avenue and the 59th Street for Hanukka in 2017. The Menorah was 36 feet high and weighed a height of 4,000 pounds.

11
The letters of the Dreidel are an acronym.

wooden dreidel next to partially unwrapped hanukkah gelt
iStock / Lpett

Hebrew letters on the Dreidel-religious,gimmel,hay, andtibia- Represent more than the rules of the traditional game of Hanukka Top-Spinning. In fact, they are used as an acronym for "Nes gadol hayah sham, "or" a big miracle has arrived there, "a Hebrew phrase used to describe the miracle of the residence power of the oil.

12
"I have a little Dreidel" was written by the brother of another famous Jewish composer.

man and young son in yarmulke playing dreidel
iStock / Kali9

The most famous English language song Hanukkah, "I have a little dredel", has been composed ofSamuel E. Goldfarb, whose family hashas changed considerably of modern Jewish music. His brother,Rabbi Israel Goldfarb, composed the melody for "Shalom Aleichem", a traditional song sung on Shabbat.

13
The Hanukka celebration does not appear in the Torah.

woman passing plate of challah across hanukkah table
iStock / Maciak

While you will find mentions of other Jewish holidays in La Torah, you will not find Hanukka there. According toChabadeThe events that took place on the first Hanoukka took place nearly 1,000 years after the writing of the Torah.

"It's a rabbinic party," explainsRabbi shlomo slatkin, MS, LCPC, an authorized imago therapist and co-founder ofThe marriage restoration project. "Although there are prefabricated indices, the holidays of rabbinic literature, it is not biblically ordered."

14
The word "hanukkah" means "inauguration".

man reading torah with tallit and shofar behind it
Shutterstock / Tomertu

That said, a variation of the word "Chanuka"is Found in the book of numbers. The phrase "Chanukat Hamifbeach, "or" dedication of the altar "appears in the history of the dedication of Moses of the Tabernacle - and, according toChabade, the nearest English translation of the word is "inauguration".

15
Some believe that Hanukka is a late celebration of another Jewish holiday.

sukkah for sukkot with table in it
iStock / Tovflala

The eight nights of Hanoukka are thought by some to refer to another Jewish holiday that also lasts eight days. Some scholars believe that holidays have eight nights because it was a late celebration ofSukkot, which was to be postponed because of the war.

16
Fasting is forbidden on Hanukka.

white people eating a holiday meal for hanukkah
iStock / Karpenkovdenis

While fasting is traditionally done on Yom Kippur as a means of atonement, you do not have to worry about forcing these Letkes on Hanoukka. According to the international non-profit YeshivaOHR Somayach, Fasting is indeed forbidden for the eight days of Hanoukka.

17
But working is right.

Office man working at his desk with headphones
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Unlike the high Jewish holidays like Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, when many observer Jews stay at home to attend temple services, there is no such prohibition to work during Hanoukka.

18
The traditional Hanoukka lamp has different names, depending on where you are.

lit menorah on dark background
Shutterstock / Tomertu

While in the United States it is most commonly called Menorah, the traditional Candelabra Hanukkah is called different things depending on where your ancestors are grooming. "The Jews of the European descent (ashkenazim) call their Hanoukkah lamp a Menorah," saysSteven Fine, PhD, Professor of Jewish HistoryUniversity of Yeshiva At New York. However, among many seforade Jews in the Balkans and Holland, the lamp is traditionally calledHanukkiah, or "Hanukkah lamp".

19
Some rabbis believe that the light of the Menorah helps people see more clearly.

little girl looking at menorah, things that annoy grandparents
Shutterstock / Dina Uretsky

Lighting LA Menorah is a way to celebrate a miracle and rabbis believe that just watching Hanukkah candles light can have quite amazing results. This light is thought to "[purify] our eyes so that we can see with a higher and more gelled perspective," says Slatkin.

20
Some groups start with eight candles on the Menorah.

menorah and presents and blue ribbon, hanukkah decorations
Shutterstock / LCP

By lighting a candle for every night of Hanukka, is traditional in many households, some start with the completely lit menorah. "There was a debate between the two great Jewish academies about whether we had to start with a candle and increase the number to eight, or if we need to start with eight and decrease in one," says Mason.

According to those who observe the traditions of Scholarly School Beit Shammai, the Menorah should start completely enlightened. For those who follow the tradition of Beit Hillel, the number of lights on the Menorah increases as the holidays progress, starting with a candle and ending with new, including theshamash, the central candle that helps to enlighten others.

21
The Menorah is typically on or after sunset.

young white boy and grandparents lighting menorah
IStock / Enzo Nguyen @ tender ojo photography

Do not break these candles Hanukkah the first thing the first time in most other Jewish holidays, the celebration begins at sunset. It is then that most Hanukkah candles are lit - and they are usually lit until they are off naturally, rather than being blown.

22
There is a specific command of candles.

young boy with curly hair watching father light menorah
iStock / Shmulitk

While the candles are traditionally inserted in the menorah from right to left, it is not the order they are usually lit. Instead, the candle representing the last night of Hanoukka is lit first, which means that the candles are lit from left to right to the right instead.

23
Some rabbis believe that Menorah should be enlightened outside the house.

menorah lit outdoors in the dark
iStock / Gorsh13

Think that the Menorah is only oneInterior decoration? Reflect again! "The Hanukkah lights should ideally be lit just outside your door and must be lit at a time when people returned home for the evening," explains Mason, which allows others to appreciate them.

24
Some versions of Hanukkah's story do not mention the Menorah at all.

picture of hebrew writing in the torah, rosh hashanah facts
Shutterstock / Roman Yanushevsky

While Menorah has become an integral part of many Jewish Hanukkah celebrations, it is not universally recognized as part of the festivities. "Some early sources that make up Hanukkah's story tell that the military victory and do not mention the Menorah at all," says Mason.

25
In many places, candles are so important for the holidays that borrow money to get them are encouraged.

box of hanukkah candles next to cardboard box with blue bow
iStock / Chattrawutt

Lighting LA Menorah is not just a suggestion on Hanukka, it's an obligation. According to the YeshivaOHR Somayach, Hanukkah candles lighting is so incorporating to the holidays that communities have the obligation to help those who can not allow candles to get a set of their own.

26
But other houses do not use candles to celebrate Hanoukka!

lit oil menorah
iStock / Tomertu

Although lighting candles have become a common practice in Hanukka in many Jewish households, some rabbis see it as problematic. "Candles are allowed, but are less than IPors," says Mason. Instead, to stay in line with the origins of Hanukkah's story, Mason says that the use of a wick in olive oil is "the ideal path to light".

27
The Shamash serves a practical goal outside the Menorah.

wooden menorah with lit shamash and first night candle
iStock / Amite

Hanukkah candles are not supposed to be used outside the Menorah, but the Shamash - the central candle from which all the others are lit - can be. In fact, in case of emergency, the Shamash can be used to provide the necessary light, according toRabbi Menachem Posner ofChabad.

28
Nobody knows who invented the gel.

chocolate hanukkah gelt gold coins on gray background
Shutterstock / Derek Hatfield

Whilegel-Hocolate The pieces of the gold leaf are among many Hanukkah celebrations, their origin remains uncertain. According toReformjudism.orgSome think that the tradition of giving frost is supposed to reflect the gold coins that people used rabbis during Hanukkah for the education they provided during the holidays.

29
And it was not always just for children.

young blonde girl playing dreidel with gelt on table
iStock / Sandoclr

However, giving the children's frost is a relatively modern practice. Reformjudism.org reports that the surveillance has become a gift for small from the 19th century.

30
The eighth night of Hanukka is considered a final judgment.

man wearing tallit and reading torah, rosh hashanah facts
Shutterstock / Amateur007

While many people think of Hanukka as a lesser importance in terms of religious significance, it is also a last opportunity for many observer Jews to gain redemption. "Although we were fluent in Yom Kippur as the final seal of judgment, Jewish mystical works say that Hanukka's last night has reached G-D and change his manners," says Slatkin.


Categories: Culture
Tags: holidays / winter
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