Author: Team of EventEve.com

All About Celebrating Hanukkah – Chanukah

Hanukkah, also called as Chanukah (or Chanukkah), is a Jewish festival that lasts for eight days and nights starting from 25^th of Kislev – a Jewish month in lunar calendar. This period may occur any time between late November and late December in the Gregorian calendar. Hanukkah is also popularly known as ‘The Festival of Lights’ and is celebrated with great zeal among many Jewish communities throughout the world.

Significance of Hanukkah

In the Hebrew language, the meaning of the word Hanukkah is ‘dedication’. Hanukkah is celebrated in honor of the victory of a small Jewish group of rebels, known as Maccabees, over the oppressive rule of the Syrian-Greeks – one of the mightiest armies of that time. The festival is the remembrance of this Jewish triumph for the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

The tale goes that when the Jewish soldiers decided to purify the temple by burning oil in the menorah of the temple for eight consecutive days, they only had oil that would last for a day. However, to their utter surprise, the small amount of oil miraculously lasted for the entire period of eight days. Hanukkah is celebrated in remembrance of this miracle.

Hanukkah Party Decorations

Although, Hanukkah is celebrated quite in the same way as Christmas, there are certain unique differences between the Christmas decorations and Hanukkah decorations.

Decorating your house for the Hanukkah celebrations can be a joyously creative experience for the entire family. Following are a few tips to make your decorations a talk of your community.

Use a combination of blue, white and silver colors as the basic theme for the decorations.
Put large banners spanning across the walls or the doorways saying “Happy Hanukkah”.
Putting a glittering “Star of David” decoration on the doors or walls can add to the Christmas-like appeal of the festival.
Add some fun element by tying some blue, silver and white colored balloons on the entrance, doors, windows and the ceiling.
Beautiful floral arrangements of blue and white colored flowers in a silver vase can be a great way to decorate tables and shelves.
Brightly colored dreidels can be suspended from the ceiling to offer a more festive look to the party.
Decorating the house with twinkling blue or white lights can add to the glitter and glamour of the occasion.
The Hanukkah menorah is the main part of the decorations and should be given the center stage at the party. It is available with electric bulbs or candles. It can be creatively decorated using attractive silver tray and blue and white colored curly ribbon around it.

Hanukkah e-Cards and Invitations

Some popular Chanukah card designs from EventEve ►

Send Free Online Invitations for diwali party

Hanukkah Traditions and Celebrations

Hanukkah has gained popularity in modern times owing to its closeness and resemblance to Christmas. Due to the influence of the Christian societies in which most Jews live today, Hanukkah is celebrated a lot like the Christmas festival itself.

Hanukkah is celebrated slightly differently in the Jewish societies in different parts of the world. All of them have their own unique traditions and ways of celebration. In spite of these variations, a few traditions are commonly practiced everywhere.

Following are some of the universal traditions practiced during the Hanukkah festival.

In order to commemorate the miraculous event of the Holy Temple, it is customary to light candles on a Hanukkiyah or Hanukkah menorah, a special candle stand, for eight consecutive nights. A candle is lit every night for eight nights from left to right using a special candle called shamash of ‘helper candle’.
The candle lighting ceremony should be accompanied by gathering of family members around the Hanukkah menorah every night to recite certain blessings.
Spinning the dreidel is a popular game played during the Hanukkah festival. It is popular among children in which children bet on which Jewish letter will show when the wheel stops spinning. Gifts such as chocolate coins, candy, raisins, nuts, etc. are to be won for winning the bet.
Consuming fried foods is the traditional way of celebrating the miracle of Hanukkah oil. A pancake made from potatoes and onions called latkes and donuts filled with jelly called sufganiyot are popular food items eaten during the festival.

Offering gifts to guests, especially all kids is an important part of the traditional celebrations of Hanukkah. Make sure that there is a different gift for each night. It is a great way to thank your guests for attending the party and participating in the celebrations.

Hanukkah parties can be a great way to bring family and friends together for some great fun time. With some creativity and enthusiasm you can surely make your Hanukkah celebrations memorable for everyone.

We wish a very Happy Chanukah to all of you!

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