Happy Hanukkah America!
We should all take a few moments to learn this fascinating history, which is retold each year as The Hanukkah Story.
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days and nights. It starts on the 25th day of the Biblical month of Kislev, which coincides with the Roman calendar this year from sundown Friday, December 11 thru sundown Saturday, December 19, 2009.
In Hebrew, the word "Hanukkah" means "dedication". The name reminds us that this holiday commemorates the rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C. ("B.C." for "Before Christ" is historically appropriate. We never use the recently invented, "Evolution Era's" revisionist "E" here!)
The Hanukkah Story
In 168 B.C. the Jewish Temple was seized by Syrian-Greek soldiers and dedicated to the worship of the god Zeus. Although this upset the Jewish people, many were afraid to fight back for fear of reprisals. Then in 167 B.C., the Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus ruled any observance of the Laws of God, an offense punishable by death! He also ordered that all Jews, must only worship his Greek gods.
Jewish resistance began in the village of Modiin, near Jerusalem. Greek soldiers forcibly gathered the Jewish villages and told them to bow down to an idol, then to eat the flesh of a pig (both were forbidden practices: Exodus 20:4 / Leviticus 11:7).
A Greek officer ordered Mattathias, a Jewish High Priest, to acquiesce to Greek demands but Mattathias refused. When another villager stepped forward and offered to cooperate on Mattathias' behalf, the High Priest became outraged. He drew his sword and killed the villager, then turned on the Greek officer and killed him too. Mattathias' five sons along with the other villagers attacked the remaining soldiers, and killed them all.
(Patriot Note: Almost sounds like an example of God - fearing people exercising their right to keep and bear arms, to defend their Religious Liberties, their way of life, and rid their land of foreign troops).
Mattathias and his family went into hiding in the mountains, where other Jews wishing to fight against the Greeks joined them. Eventually they succeeded in retaking Palestine from the Greeks. These rebels became known as the Maccabees, or Hasmoneans.
Once the Maccabees had regained control they returned to the Temple in Jerusalem. By this time it had been spiritually defiled by being used for the worship of foreign gods, and by the sacrificing of swine. Jewish troops were determined to purify the Temple by burning ritual oil in the Temple's menorah for eight days. But to their great dismay, they discovered that there was only one day's worth of oil left. They lit the menorah anyway, and to their surprise, the small amount of oil lasted the full eight days!
This is the miracle of the Hanukkah oil that is celebrated every year when Jews light a special menorah known as a hanukkiyah for eight days. One candle is lit on the first night of Hanukkah, two for the second night, and so on, until all eight candles are lit.
Because many Jews live in predominately Christian societies, over time Hanukkah has become much more festive and Christmas-like. Today, Jewish children usually receive gifts for Hanukkah - often one gift for each of the eight nights of the holiday.
Hanukkah Traditions
Every community has its own unique Hanukkah traditions, but there are some traditions that are almost universally practiced. They are lighting of the hanukkiyah, spinning the dreidel, and eating fried foods.
Lighting the hanukkiyah: Every year it is customary to commemorate the miracle of the Hanukkah oil by lighting candles on a hanukkiyah. The hanukkiyah is lit every night for eight nights.
Spinning the dreidel: A popular Hanukkah game involves spinning the dreidel, which is a four-sided top with Hebrew letters written on each side; and Gelt, which are chocolate coins covered with tin foil and are part of this game.
Eating fried foods: Because Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of oil, it is traditional to eat fried foods such as latkes and sufganiyot during the holiday. Latkes are pancakes made out of potatoes and onions, which are fried in oil and then served with applesauce. Sufganiyot (singular: sufganiyah) are jelly-filled donuts that are fried and sometimes dusted with confectioners' sugar before eating.
Please join One Nation Under God U.S.A. in wishing all of our Jewish brothers and sisters, friends, family, and members a very Joyous and Happy Hanukkah Season!
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