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With just a month until Hanukkah begins, it is important to get to know what the festival is about and how you can celebrate it if you haven’t done so before.
Beginning on December 18th and lasting until December 26th, Hanukkah is an eight-day festival which is observed and commemorated by Jewish families across the world. The story begins in the 2nd century BCE when Seleucids governed the Holy Land, who were forcing the people of Israel to abandon their faith and accept their own culture.
Against the odds, the poorly armed Jews – fronted by Judah the Maccabee – stood up against the Seleucids and forced them from their land, reclaiming the Holy Temple and placing it back into God’s service.
According to the scriptures, when they attempted to light the Temple’s menorah, they had only a single cruse of oil, which ended up supplying light to the menorah for eight days.
Ever since this moment, the people of Judaica have been celebrating the faith and heart of their ancestors by getting together for feasts, celebrations, prayer, and the lighting of their own menorah.
How To Prepare For Hanukkah
If you have not celebrated – or hosted – Hanukkah before, it is important to understand everything that this holiday represents. Refamiliarise yourself with the entire story through the scripture or ask your local rabbi to focus on it during a service.
From there, it is important to have everything you need for the celebrations. Try to acquire a beautiful silver hanukkah menorah that can sit in the centre of the dining table and ensure that it is ready to be lit.
The table itself should be kitted out and ready for the family, and you can even purchase some specialised dining sets which will keep to the theme of Hanukkah.
The Food Of Hanukkah
In terms of the meal itself, this can range between fried foods, succulent meats and sweet desserts. Brisket, for instance, is one of the main meats that is used to celebrate Hanukkah – as well as other holidays, such as Passover and Rosh Hashanah. Latkes are also very popular and can be served simply or with spices such as curry, ginger or cajun seasoning.
In terms of sweet foods, the Hanukkah gelt is often used as a prize during Hanukkah games – such as gelt checkers or gelt lineup – or as a dessert after the main course. This is a chocolate dessert which is covered in gold foil, like a coin, and can be moulded to look like the Star of David or even a menorah.
Of course, it is up to you to decide what exactly you serve during the holiday, but the important thing is that you acknowledge the past of Judaism and appreciate the time you and your family are spending together.
Of course, family is one of the most important parts of Judaism, and that is the main part of the celebrations which will be remembered – no matter how good your Hanukkah gets!
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