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Hanukkah History
The holiday originated when Judah the Maccabee and his followers
reclaimed the temple in the village of Modi'in from Syrian King
Antiochus IV. The temple was cleansed and prepared for
rededication. The Hebrew word Hanukkah means "dedication." When
the sacred temple Menorah (candelabra) was relit, there was only
enough sacred oil to burn for one day. Yet, according to
tradition, the oil miraculously lasted eight days until more
purified oil could be found.
A lesser known story from the Apocrypha tells of the beautiful
widow Judith who plied enemy Assyrian General Holofernes with
cheese and wine until he fell into a drunken stupor. Judith
beheaded the general in his sleep, and his soldiers fled in
fear, thus saving her people from the Assyrians. This story is
the subject of much renowned artwork.
In remembrance, a candle is lit each of the eight days of
Hanukkah. Children receive gifts of gelt (in remembrance of the
coins minted by the new independent Maccabee state) or money and
play games of dreidel (a spinning four-sided top.) The tradition
of receiving a gift on each of the eight days of Hanukkah is
fairly recent. Since Christians exchange gifts at Christmas,
Jews have come to exchange gifts other than coins at Hanukkah,
which comes at the same time of the year.
You will also see this holiday spelled Chanukkah and perhaps
even Hannukah due to different translations and customs.
Symbolic Foods
The traditional foods consumed during the Hanukkah holiday are
symbolic of the events being celebrated. Most are fried in oil,
symbolic of the oil that lasted eight days. Others contain
cheese to celebrate Judith's victory. Loukoumades are deep-fried
puffs dipped in honey or sugar to represent the cakes the
Maccabees ate, along with Soofganiyot (also Sufganiyot) and
zelebi. Pancakes are a traditional dish, serving as a reminder
of the food hurriedly prepared for the Maccabees as they went
into battle, along with the oil they are fried in as a reminder
of the miraculous oil.
Latkes were originally symbolic of the cheesecakes served by the
widow Judith, and later evolved to the potato/vegetable fried
latkes most known today. Many cheese and dairy dishes are
consumed in memory of brave Judith.
A newer tradition in the United States is the baking of butter
cookies or pretzels in the shape of Hanukkah symbols while
relating the stories. Children delight in helping and learn as
they create, too. |
