Hanukkah is upon us, and whereas children are nicely conscious this means numerous items, each those that do rejoice and those that don’t might not be aware of the fascinating story behind the vacation — and the symbolism that dates again 1000’s of years.

Beneath are a few of our favourite details about Hanukkah that youngsters could not already know, plus some new and outdated traditions to fold into your festivities. However truthful warning for the littles: It’s an exquisite vacation that sprung from some fairly ugly origins.

1. It was all began by rebels with a trigger.

The story of Hanukkah dates again to the second century BC. That’s when Jews rebelled towards the Greek-Syrians — who had denied them the appropriate to freely apply Judaism and demanded that the Jews as a substitute pray to Greek gods. The king’s son, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, descended upon then-Judea (at present’s Israel). They killed the Jews, destroying their temple and rubbing pigs’ blood — a most offensive image — on its partitions.

2. Our Hanukkah hero was the son of a preacher.

Judah Maccabee, the son of a Jewish priest or kohen, took up the trigger — and in two years, he led a military that defeated the Greeks and took again their temple and metropolis. His military was often known as the Maccabees.

3. There have been some magic lamps — however sadly, no genies — concerned.

When it got here time to rededicate the temple after successful it again from the Greeks, the Maccabees discovered solely sufficient oil to gentle their lamps for one evening. In what’s broadly often known as “the miracle of Hanukkah,” the oil lasted lengthy sufficient for the lamp to burn for eight days and eight nights. That’s why households gentle the menorah — which has room for 9 candles — for eight nights, saying particular blessings every time. On the primary evening, one candle is lit. That is achieved utilizing the shamash, or “helper candle” that lights all of the others. Every evening, you gentle yet another candle till all eight and the shamash shine brightly.

4. It’s on a unique day yearly — and you may blame the moon.

Hanukkah is widely known for eight days and nights, beginning on the twenty fifth of the month of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar. Because the Hebrew calendar is lunar fairly than photo voltaic, Hanukkah falls on a unique day annually, wherever from November to early January. Typically Hanukkah falls nearer to Thanksgiving than Christmas, and typically it overlaps with Christmas.

5. At this time, we eat our “magic oil.”

Whereas by no means part of the unique Hanukkah story, someplace alongside the way in which, somebody with a penchant for fried meals determined that making yummy stuff steeped in oil was a good way to honor the miraculous oil from the temple of olden days. And why not? The 2 meals mostly related to Hanukkah are latkes, or potato pancakes, and sufganiyot, or jelly doughnuts. So go forward and indulge.

5. Hanukkah is a time for placing your cash the place your mouth is — actually.

The most typical conventional Hanukkah present may be simply discovered at your native drugstore: gold-colored foil-wrapped chocolate gelt, or cash. It’s usually given together with or instead of actual cash. It’s mentioned that after the Maccabees had been victorious towards the Greeks, they began producing their very own cash for the primary time. The custom of really giving children these chocolate cash on Hanukkah, although, began many centuries later: in Poland within the 1600s, when it was customary for schoolchildren to provide their lecturers cash round Hanukkah. These capitalistic children, naturally, began to demand a handout for themselves as nicely, which led to the start of what’s now a significant custom of gifting children gelt (the type that melts in addition to the true stuff).

6. You principally play poker, solely with out the playing cards

The dreidel sport is among the most enjoyable traditions for the entire household, and you may simply play it with as many (or as few) folks as you want. All you want is the dreidel, which is a spinning toy just like a high, and a pile of pennies, sweet, gelt — or no matter you’d prefer to put within the pot. The dreidel has 4 sides, every with one Hebrew letter on it that symbolizes an motion. Spin the dreidel, and if it lands on “nun,” you get nothing; on “shin,” you set one factor within the pot; in case you land on “hey,” you get half of what’s within the center; and if the “gimel” is dealing with up, you get the entire pot. Whoever has probably the most loot when the pot runs dry wins.

There are additionally straightforward songs the entire household can sing, together with “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel,” “Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah,” or everybody’s favourite nontraditional ditty, “The Hanukkah Music” by Adam Sandler.

All mentioned, there are many fascinating references and quirky traditions which have emerged from 1000’s of years of honoring and celebrating Hanukkah — and you may go all of them all the way down to your little ones in case you like. So take a cue from the above details and be happy to combine up up to date customs with legendary historic drama for a Hanukkah that youngsters shall be speaking about till, nicely, the following one.

A model of this text was initially printed in December 2008.