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FACTS
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Hanukkah is the Jewish festival of lights and is celebrated
for eight days. This year the
festival begins on 20 December.
The
word Hanukkah means dedication and
celebrates the Jews victory over the Syrians and the subsequent
repair of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
A candelabra,
called a menorah, was lit as part of the dedication ceremony
for the repaired temple. Although there was only enough oil
to light the menorah for a day, it stayed alight for eight
days.
To
commemorate this miracle Hanukkah is celebrated by lighting
a candle each night for eight nights.
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WEB
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BBC
Religion - Judaism
BBC
World Service - Judaism
About
Judaism
Jewish.co.uk
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What
is Hanukkah?
 Hanukkah
is a holiday and it actually translates to the festival of lights.
Many people actually associate Hanukkah with Christmas but it has
nothing to do with Christmas and it's actually one of our very,
very, minor holidays. I think because we live in a modern age it's
got a little bit blown out of proportion and people think Hanukkah
is a huge holiday, it just happens to fall around the same time
of year as Christmas which is why I think those associations have
been made.
Watch the video to find out the background to Hanukkah and its
literal translation to the festival of lights.
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video
Why
is it important for you to celebrate Hanukkah?
It’s
just a part of my heritage and it’s really important to me to keep
being Jewish.
Watch the video clip to find out why it’s important to Amy to
keep up traditions.
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How
do you celebrate Hanukkah?
Well
things have changed a little since I moved to England, I used to
celebrate Hanukkah with my family. Every night we would gather together,
we would light the Hanukkah candles together on the menorah. There's
also a tradition that's started, and I think it's changed a lot
since we've been influenced by people celebrating Christmas, but
how it works is that every night the children actually receive one
present, so in total you get eight presents, one a night. We don't
tend to give presents to parents or to other relatives, it's only
the children that actually receive presents.
Watch the video to find out more about what happens on the day
and how it's different for Amy now she's in Preston.
56k video
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A
menorah is lit to celebrate Hanukkah, there are lots of different
styles to choose from
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What's
a menorah and what does your menorah look like?
Well,
menorahs come in all shapes and sizes. The one important thing about
a menorah is that they have a place for eight candles. Then you
have to have another place for your leader candle which actually
has a name, it's called a Shamash. You can't use any of the eight
day candles to light each other, you actually have to use the leader
candle to light each of the candles every single night. That's its
special place, it's the leader candle and that's what its job is.
Watch the video to find out what Amy's menorah looks like and
which one her mother uses.
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What’s
your favourite food to eat during Hanukkah?
One
of the things we eat are called latkes and they’re potato pancakes
and they’re fried in oil. The significance is that obviously we
are trying to remember the oil that was this miraculous oil that
lasted for eight days rather than one day.
Watch the video to find out what they eat during Hanukkah in
Israel.
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How
does it feel seeing Christmas celebrations going on around you when
you're celebrating your own holiday, Hanukkah?
I've
grown up in America surrounded by lots of different religions, I've
always celebrated Christmas, in a way, with my friends. They would
invite me over to their houses for their celebrations, just as I
would invite them over to my house for my celebrations. I certainly
am not uncomfortable and I'm actually quite happy and I love being
invited to people's Christmases. It is quite exciting for them and
I like to be a part of that. I would never have Christmas at my
own house, I would never put up a Christmas tree, because again
this is a symbol of Christianity, and that's not who I am. But I
do like to go to my friends' houses and share their faith with them.
I don't feel really anything, it's just a normal part of life to
see Christmas celebrations going on around you.
Watch the video to find out why Miami is different to Preston
around Hanukkah and Christmas time.
56k video
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video
The
views expressed on this page are those of the contributor and the
opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the BBC.
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