Chanukah, Hanukkah, or Chanuka?

Well, since the word is actually a Hebrew word, there doesn't seem to be much agreement about how to spell it in English. I'm going to choose Chanukah. The "ch" forces me to try to make that throaty "hawk a loogie" sound, which I stink at. :) Other names for the holiday are "Festival of Lights" or "Feast of Dedication".

Chanukah is the most recent addition to the Jewish holidays...it's only about 2200 years old, as opposed to the rest which are closer to 3500 years old. And, it's the only one that isn't mandated in the Bible. Basically, some Greek-Syrian jerks took over the temple, and some Jews (the Maccabees) fought real hard to get it back. Once they got it back, they started the process of cleaning it out and getting it ready for use again. They had enough pure oil to last just one day, but miraculously it lasted 8 whole days until more pure oil had been made.

So, in order to commemorate the victory and miracle, the Chanukah holiday was born! All this happened about 160 years before Jesus was born, and if you read John 10, you can see that He celebrated Chanukah too!

So, here's how the holiday works these days. The primary holiday activity (and my fav) is the "lighting of the Chanukah menorah". You light one candle the first night, two the next, and so on for 8 nights. But first you light the "servant" candle every night, and you use that to light all the other ones. This "servant" candle is a great symbol of Jesus. It's position is a little higher than the other candles, but it serves the other candles by sharing its light with them. Also interesting to note that Jesus called himself (and us) "the light of the world."

We have 3 menorahs, and like to light them all every night...the more the merrier! Troy and I like to turn off the lights and kick back and relax for the 45 minutes or so that it takes for the candles to burn out. It's a great excuse for time together! And we like to spend the time thinking about what a great and powerful God we serve.

Somehow, the tradition of Chanukah gift giving snuck its way in to the holiday. There are lots of explanations for this, but mostly Troy and I think it's the Jewish response to Christmas...we want gifts too! :) So, every night for 8 nights we give each other gifts...usually increasing in value. Troy usually has some sort of theme going on with the gifts he gives me - last year it was stuff for outdoor activities. I haven't figured out this year's theme yet!

Let's see....other fun facts. Jelly donuts and potato pancakes are big foods during Chanukah. (they require lots of oil, which connects back to the oil miracle). Kids (even big kids like me) like to play the Dreidel game...it's kinda like gambling for chocolate. Only kinda. There are a few special Chanukah songs, and plenty of Chanukah decorations if you know where to shop! I even saw a Chanukah apron at Ross the other day. :)

So, there you have it. Some fun Chanukah facts. We really love this time of year...we go to the Wallace house for some Christmas festivities as well. Such fun!