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Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Hanukkah Games

By Julia Nielsen

"All right, it's time for the story of Hanukkah. Years and years ago, there were these people called the Maccabees." - The Hanukkah Armadillo

Hanukkah is often seen as the Jewish counterpart to Christmas. While both events are winter holidays, Hanukkah is less important within Judaism than Christmas is within Christianity. Christmas marks the birth of Jesus Christ, who Christians accept as their savior; Hanukkah is the celebration of the re-dedication of the Holy Temple. This event is far less significant than Christmas but unfortunately the two have been equated due to their calendar proximity. This has led to many secular cultural practices being associated with Hanukkah that traditionally are not part of the celebration. This includes the giving of gifts (though I won’t complain about presents). The true nature and story of Hanukkah is that it is a commemorative celebration of a miracle in which a single night’s worth of sacred oil burned for eight nights. Hanukkah is an incredibly misunderstood holiday in America. Many believe that the holiday is of great importance. The holiday is incredibly obscure and actually has no mention within the Jewish religious texts. The festival of light is not mentioned in recognized Jewish scripture and the story of the miracle is only told within the Book of Maccabees, which is not accepted as scripture. The only actual observance is to light a menorah, which is an eight limbed candelabra, with a candle being added to the menorah each night of the festival. The consumption of food cooked with oil and playing of the game dreidel are also associated with this holiday and are often enjoyed by children observing Hanukkah. I hope to share more of the festival and observance with you at our meeting.