Hanukkah -

Hanukkah

Hanukkah (Hebrew: חֲנֻכָּה‎, Tiberian: Ḥănukkāh, nowadays usually spelled חנוכה pronounced [χanu’ka] in Modern Hebrew, also romanized as Chanukah), often known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE, Hanukkah is observed for eight nights, starting on the 25th day of Kislev in accordance with the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.

The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a really special candelabrum, the nine branched Menorah or Hanukiah, one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. An extra light called a Shamash (Hebrew: "guard" or "servant") is also lit each night for the purpose of lighting the others, and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest. The "Shamash" symbolically supplies light that may be used for some secular purpose.

There is a custom of eating foods fried or baked in oil (preferably olive oil), as the original miracle of the Hanukkah menorah involved the discovery of a small flask of pure olive oil used by the Jewish High Priest, the Kohen Gadol. This small batch of olive oil was only supposed to last one day and instead it lasted eight.

Accordingly, potato pancakes, known as latkes in Yiddish, are traditionally linked to Hanukkah, especially among Ashkenazi families, as they're prepared by frying in oil.

Similarly, many Sephardic, Polish and Israeli families have the custom of eating all kinds of jam filled doughnuts (Yiddish: פאנטשקעס pontshkes), bimuelos (fritters) and sufganiyot) which are deep fried in oil. Bakeries in Israel have popularized many new varieties of fillings for sufganiyot besides the traditional strawberry jelly filling, including chocolate cream, vanilla cream, cappuccino and others. In recent years, there have also appeared downsized, "mini" sufganiyot" containing half the calories of the regular, 400-600 calorie version.

There is also a tradition of eating cheese products on Hanukkah which is recorded in rabbinic literature. This custom is seen as being a commemoration of the involvement of Judith and thus women in the events of Hanukkah.