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When I was a kid, Channukah was a time to light one more candle each night and sing a song. It was about the Judah Macabee, his brothers and their amazing miracle. As they fought to preserve the Jewish people they took over a synagogue that only had enough oil to burn for one more night. The light was supposed to stay burning. There was little hope that the light would last until they could track down more oil
It took eight days, and, (ta dah!) the light remained burning until the brothers could bring back the oil it required. Now we commemorate the holiday by lighting a menorah every night of the eight, beginning with one plus the shumash (candle used to light the others) and ending, on the last night, with eight. Tradition holds that the candlestick, called a Channukiah or a Menorah, should be lit by a window so that all who pass would know of the miracle and the celebration. Each family member has her/his own to light.
Since we're Jewish, of course, there's food. The most familiar, and widely appreciated, is "latkes" or potato pancakes. Every family has its own recipe and usually there are parties where groups gather once their own candles are lit, and celebrate with latkes and apple sauce or sour cream and lots of other goodies. For many, they include caramel donuts. There's music, of course, and games. One is played with a top called a Dreidl (you know the song "Oh dreidl, dreidl, dreid, I made it out of clay. Oh dreidl dreidl dreidly, my dreidl I will play."
In many families there are also gifts. Most of our observant friends play down the gift thing ; the holiday is important on its own, some bleieve the gifts are to compete with Christmas and generally think that their kids have too much stuff anyway. Others give the kids a new gift every night. Renowned feminist and author (and co-creator of Free to Be, You and Me) Letty Cottin Pogrebin taught me her own family tradition which turned out to have a huge impact on my own sons. We took at least one night of the holiday and took the money we would have spent on gifts to spend on charity. The kids got to choose where the money went. As adults both are quite philanthropic and credit this habit at least partially to those days of choosing, depending on the year, the United Negro College Fund, older Jews on the lower East Side, Comic Relief and the Paul Simon Children's Medical Vans.
I'm not the only Chanukah blogger of course, not by a long shot. Last year, Nina Amir took this nuts-and-bolts topic and added a real mystical component - you'll love it. Moonfevero knows her way around a multicultural holiday that includes Chanukah - and dreidles! And finally, Sweet and Savory offers a wonderful Chanukah recipe that will cross every ethnic and religious barrior you can throw at it.
Whatever your faith or festive diet, whether you light menorahs at home or candles in a cathedral, have a lovely holiday - grateful for all we can share in this amazing community of women.
