HAPPY CHANUKAH (learn something here)
HANUKKAH means DEDICATION
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hanukah.com
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NOT JUST FOR KIDS
Hanukkah
The twenty-fifth of Kislev to the second of Tevet
December 8, 2004 (Jewish Year 5765)
Menorah: Abram Wiesman
Background: Cory Jacoby
If you live in the northern hemisphere, the middle of winter can be gloomy and dreary. The winter sky may be dark when you get up in the morning to go to school. And it may be almost dark when you come home. If you live far enough north, you may have daylight only a few hours of the day. What a wonderful time for the Festival of Lights!
For eight days, Hanukkah candles shine in the window to brighten the night. Family and friends come to help light the candles in the hanukiyah (Menorah), to eat latkes (pancakes) and sufganiyot (doughnuts), and play games of dreidel. Presents are exchanged, songs are sung, and the story is told of brave, stubborn Judah Maccabee.
"More than 2000 years ago, a Syrian king named Anitochus, tried to force the Jews to give up their religion. Judah Maccabee let this people in a fight to drive the Syrians out of Israel. The Jews finally won back the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. They scrubbed and cleaned it and polished the huge menorah. But when the priests were ready to begin services they could only find a tiny jar of pure oil to burn in the menorah, only enough for one day. By a miracle, the oil burned on and on for eight days."
Hanukkah (rededication) has only five letters in the original Hebrew.
In English there are at least 16 ways to spell it, including:
Channuka, Channukah, Chanuka, Chanukah, Chanuko, Hannuka, Hannukah, Hanuka, Hanukah, Hanukkah, Kanukkah, Khannuka, Khannukah, Khanuka, Khanukah, Khanukkah, and Xanuka.
night.net |
