There are a lot of holidays packed in between Halloween and New Year’s Day. There’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kwanzaa and Festivus for starters. Another of the “big ones” is the celebration of Hanukkah.
Hanukkah is a Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and the rededication of the Second Temple. This took place when the Maccabees revolted against Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the 2nd century BCE. According to the Talmud, the temple was purified, and a miraculous event occurred. Although there was only enough lamp oil for one day, the wicks of the menorah burned brightly for eight days. Hence, another name people call Hanukkah is the Festival of Light, originally coined by Josephus in the old text, Antiquities of the Jews.
The festival is observed by the lighting of the menorah, a small candelabra with nine candles. One candle is usually placed above the others and is used to light the other eight. Each night, one additional candle is lit, until the eighth day of the festival when all candles are lit together.
Other Hanukkah festivities include singing Hanukkah songs, reciting the Hallel prayer, eating dairy foods and food cooked in oil (like latkes) and playing the dreidel game. Many families exchange gifts each night, and children often receive “Hanukkah Gelt” — chocolate coins covered in gold or silver foil. Many families encourage their children to give to charity instead of gifts to each other. Fasting and eulogizing are prohibited during Hanukkah.
Hanukkah is observed on the 25th day of the month of Kislev in the Hebrew Calendar, which can occur anytime from late November to late December. This year, Hanukkah begins on Christmas Day, and runs through New Year’s Day.
There is a parallel between Hanukkah and Christmas, as Christmas is observed for eight days in the Catholic Church, from Dec. 25 until Jan. 1. Advent is considered to be the season of darkness before the season of light, and Christmas was often referred to as the new Hanukkah in the early days of the church, the promise of Hanukkah fulfilled by the Nativity of Christ.
And in December 2022, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Reverends Al Sharpton and Conrad Tillard, businessman Robert F. Smith, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and Elisha Wiesel joined to celebrate Hanukkah and Kwanzaa together. The celebration was held at Carnegie Hall, and was dedicated to combat racism and antisemitism.
As part of the overall holiday season, Hanukkah fits in perfectly to help us celebrate and recognize the best parts of humanity. As I wrote in my “Happy Holidays” song about Hanukkah, the world just can’t go wrong with too much light. That pretty much aligns with the Christmas philosophy of peace on earth and good will toward men, and Kwanzaa’s Seven Principles, which include unity, purpose, creativity and faith.
No matter which holidays you celebrate, I hope that the season finds you in good spirits, and that the true meaning of the holidays finds a home in your heart, and will be celebrated by all of us all year long. I’ll close this with a couple of inspirational holiday quotes.
“A candle is a small thing. But one candle can light another. And see how its own light increases, as a candle gives its flame to the other. You are such a light.” – Moshe Davis
“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” – Hamilton Wright Mabie
“Last year’s words belong to last year’s language. And next year’s words await another voice.” – T.S. Eliot
– Catch John live Thursdays at Sparky’s Landing, and Sunday afternoons at Skipjack Tiki. Find his music anywhere you download or stream your music. www.johnbartus.com • johnbartus.hearnow.com
