Can someone please explain Hanukkah?

[gr8tpanther]

Either a good link or just explain it to me? Thanks.

 

[castleview]

Hold tight. JennyMominRI will be right there.

 

[Bob Slydell]

http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday7.htm

 

[gr8tpanther]

I'm holdin.... for Girl Scouts, I want to do "Holidays Around the World" I can find alot, but this one is tough to understand if you didn't grow up with it. And I would like to incorporate it into the Night. Thanks.

 

[JennyMominRI]

Hold tight. JennyMominRI will be right there.

ROFL
Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and nights, starting on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar (which is November-December on the Gregorian calendar). In Hebrew, the word "Hanukkah" means "dedication."
The holiday commemorates the rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Jews' 165 B.C.E. victory over the Hellenist Syrians. Antiochus, the Greek King of Syria, outlawed Jewish rituals and ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods.

In 168 B.C.E. the Jews' holy Temple was seized and dedicated to the worship of Zeus.

Some Jews were afraid of the Greek soldiers and obeyed them, but most were angry and decided to fight back.

The fighting began in Modiin, a village not far from Jerusalem. A Greek officer and soldiers assembled the villagers, asking them to bow to an idol and eat the flesh of a pig, activities forbidden to Jews. The officer asked Mattathias, a Jewish High Priest, to take part in the ceremony. He refused, and another villager stepped forward and offered to do it instead. Mattathias became outraged, took out his sword and killed the man, then killed the officer. His five sons and the other villagers then attacked and killed the soldiers. Mattathias' family went into hiding in the nearby mountains, where many other Jews who wanted to fight the Greeks joined them. They attacked the Greek soldiers whenever possible.

About a year after the rebellion started, Mattathias died. Before his death, he put his brave son Judah Maccabee in charge of the growing army. After three years of fighting, the Jews defeated the Greek army, despite having fewer men and weapons.

Judah Maccabee and his soldiers went to the holy Temple, and were saddened that many things were missing or broken, including the golden menorah. They cleaned and repaired the Temple, and when they were finished, they decided to have a big dedication ceremony. For the celebration, the Maccabees wanted to light the menorah. They looked everywhere for oil, and found a small flask that contained only enough oil to light the menorah for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days. This gave them enough time to obtain new oil to keep the menorah lit. Today Jews celebrate Hanukkah for eight days by lighting candles in a menorah every night, thus commemorating the eight-day miracle

 

[Galahad]

Hanukkah, the short version:

"THANKS! For keeping the lights on!!!

ETA - or in other words - what JennyMominRI said.

 

[JennyMominRI]

Hanukkah, the short version:

"THANKS! For keeping the lights on!!!

LOL It's another good excuse to eat a lot of really bad for you fried foods like Latkas and Sufganiot

 

[gr8tpanther]

How about I just bring you to my troop meeting? Ok, are there any crafts that could go along with this? Any EASY crafts? I am SO craft challenged!

 

[JennyMominRI]

How about I just bring you to my troop meeting? Ok, are there any crafts that could go along with this? Any EASY crafts? I am SO craft challenged!

Maybe you could make a dreidle?
I'm not the least bit crafty either

 

[gr8tpanther]

Ok, can you go into a little more and explain the candles? What they are and why there are so many?

 

[mickeyboat]

LOL It's another good excuse to eat a lot of really bad for you fried foods like Latkas and Sufganiot

How about a recipe for latkas? My Hannah brought home a book from the library one time about a girl who is given a magic frying pan that makes latkas, and I always wondered how to make them. We read the story about 500 times. Latkas latkas fun to eat, ..... Hanukkah treat.

Denae

 

[JennyMominRI]

Ok, can you go into a little more and explain the candles? What they are and why there are so many?

..A Hanukkah Menorah has 9 Candles One for each night the oil burned and one helper candle to light them with. A blessing is said first

Boruch Attah Adonoy, Elohainu Melech ha-olam, asher kidishanu b'mitzvotav, v'tsivanu l'hadlik ner shel Chanukah
Which means
Blessed are You, Hashem our G-d, King of the universe, Who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days at this time
The first night you will have 2 candles burning. The helper candle as the candle for the first day(a jewish day starts at Sundown).You add a candle each day. By the last night you have 9 candles lit
Edited to add,you always light a menorah from left to right

 

[JennyMominRI]

How about a recipe for latkas? My Hannah brought home a book from the library one time about a girl who is given a magic frying pan that makes latkas, and I always wondered how to make them. We read the story about 500 times. Latkas latkas fun to eat, ..... Hanukkah treat.

Denae

I don't have an official recipe.. I mix shredded potatoes with egg,diced onion,garlic and parmesan cheese . You want to sort of ring out the potatoes so they don't get too mushy.. Shape into small circles and fry in oil.
Traditionally they are served with applesauce and sour cream

 

[mickeyboat]

I don't have an official recipe.. I mix shredded potatoes with egg,diced onion,garlic and parmesan cheese . You want to sort of ring out the potatoes so they don't get too mushy.. Shape into small circles and fry in oil.
Traditionally they are served with applesauce and sour cream

Thanks, I think I will try to make some tonight.

Denae

 

[frndshpcptn]

I am in the minority with my friends and family - but I love the latkes that you get from the Maneschevitz mix. It's a green and orange and white box.

Most people like the homeade - with potatoes, onion, garlic mixed in a blender and fried up.

 

[robinb]

There are 8 nights of Hanukkah and 9 candle holders on a menorah. One candle is lit on the first night, two candles are lit on the second night, etc. The ninth candle is the "shamash" ("helper candle") that is used to light the others.

 

[gr8tpanther]

Thanks for all the info, the meeting is tonight, nothing like a little procrastination to brighten your day eh? But I think I have alot of good stuff, I been surfing and printing all afternoon.

I did print out some Dreidel patterns and I will let them decorate and cut and play tonight, should be fun.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

The girls might enjoy playing with dreidels. You could get the chocolate coins (gelt) for them to use when they play. The synagogue where my little charges go to school has all sorts of little toys and candy and such for Hanukkah. We aren't Jewish, but DS has dreidels I bought for him years ago with a little book about Hanukkah customs and rules for the game. Check your library for some neat stories, crafts, etc.

 

[suzannen]

One of the reasons you eat latkes, is to celebrate the oil, thus you fry things in oil. A more recent tradition in my area (at least recent according to my MIL who was raised fairly orthodox) is to have jelly doughnuts during this holiday (since they are also fried). I, personally, NEVER question a tradition that includes doughnuts. Could you take some of those along?

Edited to note: Jennie, is that what Sufganiot is?

 

[gr8tpanther]

One of the reasons you eat latkes, is to celebrate the oil, thus you fry things in oil. A more recent tradition in my area (at least recent according to my MIL who was raised fairly orthodox) is to have jelly doughnuts during this holiday (since they are also fried). I, personally, NEVER question a tradition that includes doughnuts. Could you take some of those along?

Edited to note: Jennie, is that what Sufganiot is?

Is that what Fosnaut (sp?) is all about?