Happy Hanukkah 2009!

Happy Hanukkah 2009! On Friday, December 11, everyone will light a candle and quietly say Happy Hanukkah at sundown. Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights.

Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday. It commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem during the time of the Maccabean Revolt, 2^nd Century BCE. According to Wikipedia, the word Hanukkahcomes from the Hebrew verb "חנך", which means "to dedicate".

Hanukkah starts on the 25^th day of Kislev, according to the Hebrew calendar. With the Gregorian calendar we use, Hanukkah may occur anywhere from late November to late December.

Hanukkah is observed by lighting the Menorah, a special nine-branched candelabrum. There is a candle for each of the eight nights and a ninth light called a shamash. The shamash, which means "servant" or "guard" in Hebrew, is used to light the other candles in the Menorah. It has a distinct location above or below the other lights. The lights burn for at least a half hour after it gets dark. Three special blessings are recited during this eight-day Festival of Lights.

Happy Hanukkah traditions include playing the dreidel. The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top children play with. Each side is imprinted with a Hebrew letter, which are an acronym for "A great miracle happened there". This refers to the miracle of oil that happened in the Beit Hamikdash.

After lighting the Menorah, many homes play the dreidel game. Players start with 10 or 15 coins (which might be real or candies). Each person places one marker in the "pot". Based on the spin, the player either wins a marker or gives up one. The winner takes it all by the end of the game. It is said the dreidel game was created by the Jewish people to camouflage studying the Torah when it was outlawed by the Greeks.

Another happy Hanukkah practice for children is gelt, which is Yiddish for money. Gelt might be real money or chocolate coins given to the children by grandparents or other relatives. The practice began in the seventeenth century and continues today.

Traditional Hanukkah foods include dairy for women. This tradition is based on Judith, the daughter of Yochanan the Kohen Gadol. A miracle was performed with milk Judith fed the enemy. Dairy is eaten in memory of this miracle.

Other Hanukkah foods are typically baked or fried in olive oil. The original miracle of Hanukkah involved the discovery of a small flask of olive oil used by the Jewish High Priest, Kohen Gadol. The pure olive oil was only supposed to last for a day, but ultimately lasted for eight. Popular fare include latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot, which are deep fried doughnuts filled with jam.

The final day of Hanukkah is called Zot Hanukkah. This is from the verse read in the synagogue on this day, Numbers 7:84, Zot Chanukat Hamizbe'ach, "This was the dedication of the altar." This is also the final seal of the High Holiday season of Yom Kippur. It is a time to repent out of love for God. It is also a day for the fulfillment of prayers.

Happy Hanukkah songs include, "Chanukah, Oh Chanukah" and "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel".