She met Holofernes, who was smitten by her beauty. Fried foods (such as latkes (potato pancakes), jelly doughnuts (sufganiyot), and Sephardic bimuelos) are eaten to commemorate the importance of oil during the celebration of Hanukkah. 12:50 PM EST, Tue December 24, 2019. All Rights Reserved. [2][3] It is also known as the Festival of Lights (Hebrew: חַג הַאוּרִים‎, ḥag ha'urim). Mattathias (Mattityahu), a Jewish priest, and his five sons Jochanan, Simeon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and Judah led a rebellion against Antiochus. It celebrates a miracle that happened in Jerusalem over 2,000 years ago. Does your family celebrate Hanukkah or Purim? Both unto Yourself did you make a great and holy name in Thy world, and unto Your people did You achieve a great deliverance and redemption. In modern Israel, the national and military aspects of Hanukkah became, once again, more dominant. Hanukkah is a time to remember and celebrate this victory of truth and faithfulness to God’s Word. There was in it [enough oil] to light [the lamps therewith] for one day, but the God of heaven whose name dwells there put therein his blessing and they were able to light from it eight days. [147] This in parts mirrors the ascendancy of Christmas, which like Hanukkah increased in importance in the 1800s. (federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific racial/ethnic group or sexual minority, (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies When there is a second Sabbath on Hanukkah, the Haftarah reading is from 1Kings 7:40 – 1Kings 7:50. Hanukkah is a minor Jewish holiday as compared to the high holidays of Rosh Hashonah and Yom Kippur or to Purim and Passover. [107], It is customary for women not to work for at least the first half-hour of the candles' burning, and some have the custom not to work for the entire time of burning. Lighting the lamps during the eight days of Hanukkah is a religious duty imposed by the sages. Since the 1970s, the worldwide Chabad Hasidic movement has initiated public menorah lightings in open public places in many countries. [67], A large number of songs have been written on Hanukkah themes, perhaps more so than for any other Jewish holiday. [47] As the conflict escalated, Antiochus took the side of the Hellenizers by prohibiting the religious practices the traditionalists had rallied around. בְּאַדְלָקוּת יוֹמָא חֲדָא הֲוָה בַּהּ וַאֲלָה שְׁמַיָּא דִּי שַׁכֵין שְׁמֵיהּ תַּמָּן יְהַב בַּהּ בִּרְכְּתָא וְאַדְלִיקוּ מִנַּהּ תְּמָנְיָא יוֹמִין. Gingerbread cookies in the shape of Stars of David and decorated with a Hanukkiah candelabrum. [85], Generally, women are exempt in Jewish law from time-bound positive commandments, although the Talmud requires that women engage in the mitzvah of lighting Hanukkah candles "for they too were involved in the miracle. To explain the Mishna's lack of a systematic discussion of Hanukkah, Rav Nissim Gaon postulated that information on the holiday was so commonplace that the Mishna felt no need to explain it. Hanukkah bushes are generally discouraged today by most rabbis,[1] but some Reform, Reconstructionist and more liberal Conservative rabbis do not object, even to Christmas trees. Selected battles between the Maccabees and the Seleucid Syrian-Greeks: Hanukkah is celebrated with a series of rituals that are performed every day throughout the eight-day holiday, some are family-based and others communal. It looks very similar to a menorah with eight prongs, but has a ninth candle, the Shamash, used to light the other candles. His … Some Hasidic Jews follow this Sephardic custom as well. Here’s a rundown of the game. Since Christmas is generally accepted as an important and universal experience in American childhood, kids of other faiths often feel left out of the celebrations. 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