Monday, December 22, 2014

Holiday Party - History of Hanukkah

I’m sure y’all know about Hanukkah. And when you think of Hanukkah, you probably primarily think of dreidels and menorahs. While talking with my friend Jessie about Hanukkah, and how she celebrates, she started talking about the reasons behind why her family does some of the things they do. Which got me to thinking…where did these symbols of Hanukkah come from? And so I decided to do some research. This is what I found, and so I wanted to share with y'all as it's pretty fascinating stuff, plus I think it's nice to think about the roots of these holidays. (Btw, I just wanted to let you guys all know, this is basically the brief Cliff Notes version of this, so I’ve also included some links to do some more research if you’d like. I used various sources including my World Religion notes, Wikipedia, and the links listed to research. I’m sharing this here as a fun facts section, but I am NOT an expert on the subject, so I may have mixed something up, so please take this with a grain of salt).


Backstory on Hanukkah - So, back around 167 B.C.E, the Jews rebelled against their oppressors (Maccabean Revolt) and against all odds, won. When they went to their holy Temple, they discovered that it had been pillaged and damaged. When they went to rededicate the Temple, they lit the great lamp (which must stay lit). However, though they could only find enough oil to last a single day, the oil miraculously lasted for eight days. To remember this victory and miracle, the Jews celebrate Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights, for eight days every year (during which they light the menorah).

To learn more, visit:  History of Hanukkah   |   Holidays: Hanukkah


MenorahsNow, the menorah has been around in one form or another ever since the First Temple was built in King Soloman’s time. However, the original menorahs were destroyed along with the First Temple in 586 B.C.E. After this, the Second Temple was built, with a new, gold menorah placed inside.

Alas, the Temple and the menorah inside were then destroyed again in 70 B.C.E. After all this, the menorah became an important symbol used to represent Jewish sovereignty and hope (as well as redemption).

Now, the menorah described originally had seven branches, but in order to preserve the holiness of the original, it was forbidden to use an exact replica of the original. Hence the eight-branched menorahs used today.

Like I said, this is a very, very brief synopsis of the history of the menorah. It’s very fascinating, and I highly recommend you go do some research on your own and read all about this part of history. Here’s one of the easiest sources I recommend starting with.


Dreidels – So, I (like many others) thought that the dreidel was a Jewish custom connected to Hanukkah. And while it is, you may be surprised to learn, it apparently wasn’t always so. Turns out, dreidels have been around and been used in various cultures for many centuries. From England to Germany, the dreidel was around before it was assimilated into the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah.

For more on dreidels, and to learn about all the detailed ideas on what the dreidels represent, visit this link (it’s a fascinating article).


Feel free to let me know what you think. Did you know this already? Did I screw something up? Let me know what you're thinking down below. Also, don't forget to enter the grand prize giveaway!

12 comments:

  1. Wow, I didn't know this about Hannukah. This is really cool to read about. What a great idea for a holiday blog series!

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  2. My best feriend has been trying to educate me for years so I remember some but am not the expert she is.

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    1. My friend Jessie's the same. She knows way more than me, so I learned a lot from her as well. :)

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  3. Thanks for your posting which was quite informative to me. I'll have to check out the dreidal,since I used to hear the song but didn't understand what it's about.

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  4. I love to read about new things. Never knew that about Hannukah. Thanks for the post

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    1. I see you are going to post on another holiday in a few days. I love to find out different holidays and how they originated.

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    2. Yeah, I wanted to visit and talk about these holidays, as the stories behind them are rather fascinating.

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  5. I know almost close to nothing about Hannukah except the back story that you have in the post. Thank you for sharing these tidbit of interesting facts =)

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    1. It truly is interesting, especially if you read further into Hanukkah. It's a beautiful holiday. :)

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  6. This was incredibly interesting. I knew about the dreidels, and a bit about the menorah and its significance, but not a lot. It is a really interesting tradition, and incredibly special to be a part of. Thank you for sharing such awesome information!

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  7. What an interesting post on Hanukkah! I didn't know much about the holiday and was fascinated by the section on menorahs and dreidels. Thanks for sharing.

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