Lost in the midst of
“all-things-Christmas” is the fact that Hanukkah is almost here. Okay, so Hanukkah isn't as big a holiday for Jews as Christmas is for Christians, but it's still a celebration. Since mine is an interfaith family and I am not the Jewish parent, I
try to add my own spin to the traditional festivities. One way is
finding trivia about this holiday and sharing it with my husband and
the kids. So I now I'd like to share with you:
8 Little-Known Facts
about Hanukkah
 |
| My family's menorah. |
See how many of these
questions YOU can answer without looking!
What does the word, Hanukkah, mean?
Re-dedication. It refers to the Second
Temple which was reclaimed by the Maccabees.
What did kids in Yemen go from house
to house collecting?
Wicks for the menorah.
Why are children given money and
presents during the holiday?
Traditionally, it was to reward them
for their Torah studies.
Which nation ruled over Israel at
the time of the Hanukkah story?
Syria.
Why was the Second Temple
re-dedicated?
Because Seleucid, king of Syria,
Antiochus IV Epiphanes, had defiled the temple by having an altar to
Zeus placed there.
Why do families eat latkes (potato
pancakes) and sufganiot (jelly doughnuts) during the festivities?
Because they're fried in oil which
commemorates the miracle of the oil.
What chant is traditionally sung as
the Menorah is being lit?
Hanerot Hallalu.
Why is the dreidel a symbol of
Hanukkah? (I LOVE this one!)
During the Syrian-Greek decrees
against the Jewish people, one of the many things banned was the study of Torah. Still, the Jews continued secretly
teaching and studying the Torah. When a Greek soldier appeared,
they'd hide their books and pull out tops and play with their
children. Written on the sides of the dreidel are the letters nun,
gimmel, heh, and shin, which represent the words nes
gadol haya sham, for “A great miracle happened there.”
 |
| So that's why the dreidel is a symbol of Hanukkah! |
I love acknowledging and celebrating my
husband's Jewish traditions with my kids. It's important for
children to know where their parents came from and it's been
fascinating for me to learn about Judiasm and Jewish culture. I'm
looking forward to taking out the menorah and celebrating Hanukkah
with my family next week. And you can bet I'll be sharing the trivia
above with them as we eat our latkes!
Thank you for reading and Happy Hanukkah!
~~
Sources for this post included:
www.purpletrail.com,
www.funology.com, www.cnn.com,
and www.aish.com.
Very neat! I just put up a Chanukah post & it was so funny - I didn't even realize I had put up eight questions until afterward! I had to go back & change the title. :-)
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