What day is Han-nu-kah?
But what day is it this year?
It's on the 21st of December and goes on for 8 days.
There are a variety of traditions and practices surrounding the celebration of Hanukkah.
The Hanukiyah
The most important, and most recognized, Hanukkah tradition is the lighting of the candelabra, known as the Hanukiyah (or the Menorah). The Hanukiyah holds nine candles, eight representing the eight nights of the holiday plus the Shamash -- this candle is used to light the other candles. The first candle is lit on Erev Hanukkah, the night before the holiday starts.
One inserts the candles into the Hanukiyah from right to left, one candle for each day of the Hanukkah miracle (for instance, on the second day of Hanukkah, there are two regular candles and a Shamash candle in the Hanukiyah). Blessings are said while someone lights the candles from left to right. According to tradition, the left-most candle represents the most recent day of the miracle, and one lights this candle first because he is most thankful that the oil lasted yet another day. As each day passes, the Hanukiyah becomes brighter and brighter.
These are the blessings for the lighting of the Hanukiyah:
Blessing for the candles:
Ba-ruch ata, A-do-nai E-lo-hei-nu, me-lech ha-o-lam, a-sher ki-de-sha-nu be-mits-vo tav, ve-tsi-va-nu le-had-lik neir shel Chan-nu-kah.
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, king of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to light the candles of Hanukkah.
Blessing for Hanukkah:
Ba-ruch ata, A-do-nai E-lo-hei-nu, me-lech ha-o-lam, she-a-sa ni-sim la-vo-tei-nu ba-ya-mim ha-heim ba-ze-man ha-zeh.
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, king of the universe, who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days at this time.
The Shehechyanu (This is only said the first night.)
Ba-ruch ata, A-do-nai E-lo-hei-nu, me-lech ha-o-lam, she-he-chya-nu ve-ki-ya-ma-nu ve-hi-gi-a-nu laz-man-ha-zeh.
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, king of the universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season.
The Dreidel
The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side. The dreidel game was played during time of Antiochus, before the Jewish revolt. Because Jews could be killed for practicing their religion, when they gathered to study the Torah, or holy scripture, they would have a dreidel handy. If they were discovered by Greek soldiers, they could pretend to be playing with it.
The game is usually played with each player receiving a number of coins or candy. Before spinning the dreidel, each player puts money in the pot, or kupah. On each side of the dreidel is a Hebrew letter: nun, gimmel, hey or shin. Each player spins the dreidel and sees what letter is facing up when it falls. Each letter represents a different outcome, from winning nothing to taking the whole kupah. For more information, check out Holidays.net: Playing the Dreidel.
Hanukkah Gelt
The word gelt means "money" in Yiddish. On Hanukkah, there is a tradition of giving real or chocolate coins as presents to children. Most likely because Hanukkah falls near Christmas, giving gelt has evolved into giving and receiving other presents on each of the eight nights of Hanukkah.
Hanukkah Foods
Latkes
Commemorating the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight nights, Hanukkah foods are usually fried in oil. Latkes are the most notable example of these fried foods. Latkes are potato pancakes found in many Jewish homes during Hanukkah. They are made by frying small pancakes of grated potatoes held together by eggs and/or milk. They are usually eaten with apple sauce or sour cream.
Sufganiyot
In Israel, the custom is to serve sufganiyot, jelly doughnuts fried in oil, on Hanukkah. There, you can buy them on almost any street corner. They are very similar to the jelly doughnuts we know in America. They are filled with jam and covered with powdered sugar. Sufganiyot are a reminder of the cakes hurriedly prepared for the Maccabees as they went into battle.
In our day and age, Hanukkah has taken on some additional meaning because it is so near to Christmas. Nowadays, people often shop for Hanukkah gifts like they do for Christmas gifts, and the Hanukiyah has become a recognized symbol of the holiday season.
The Festival of Lights is a time for Jewish families to rejoice, play games, give gifts and light the candles. It commemorates a triumph over religious persecution and the importance of a 2,000-year-old miracle.
And it starts at sundown on Dec. 21 this year. 8 days...
First Night
Finish 28/12/08
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http://judaism.about.com/od/chanukah/qt/...
That website will tell you when it starts all the way through 2015.
of December 21st till the 29th
NOTE:not every Hanukkah is on the same day.
Also try cooking this
I can't imagine Hanukkah without fried potato pancakes (latkas in Yiddish and livivot in Hebrew). We eat latkas on Hanukkah to remind us of the oil which miraculously burned for eight days when the Maccabees purified and rededicated the holy Temple in Jerusalem. But latkas are so tastey that they can be eaten the other 357 days of the year too.
Ingredients:
4 large potatoes
1 medium onion
1 large egg
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
vegetable oil (for frying)
Preparation:
1. Grate potatoes and onion. Transfer to colander and squeeze mixture to press out as much liquid as possible.
2. In a large bowl, mix egg, salt, pepper, flour and baking powder. Add potato and onions, and mix well.
3. Heat oil in a deep, heavy skillet.
4. Drop about 2 tablespoons of potato mixture into the pan for each pancake. Flatten with back of spoon so each pancake is about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter.
5. Fry over medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crisp. Turn carefully with 2 spatulas so oil does not splatter. 6. Drain on paper towels.
7. Before frying each new batch, stir potato mixture. If all the oil is absorbed, add a little more to the pan.
8. Serve hot with applesauce, or sour cream, or sugar.
The first day: Take out the menorah, light one candle, say your prayers, eat a nice dinner, and get 1-2 presents!
The second day: light your second candle, eat a nice dinner, say your prayers, get more presents!
The third day: Light your 3rd candle, say prayers, eat a nice dinner, and get MORE presents!
The fourth day: Go to temple, light your fourth candle, say prayers, at halah, eat a nice dinner, get MORE MORE MORE presents!
keep going for four more days. Some days you go over to relatives houses, and stuff.
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