Kids enjoy becoming involved in the celebration of holidays, but actually teaching them about why the holiday exists is important. Hanukkah is a holiday that commemorates the victory of a group of rebel Jews known as the Maccabees in recovering their temple from the Greek Syrians. The word “Hanukkah” means “dedication” in Hebrew, and teaching kids the true meaning of this holiday can make them even more motivated to find ways to commemorate those who fought for the Jewish temple. Here is an overview of five interesting ideas regarding Hanukkah for them to explore.
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1. Hanukkah celebrations last for eight days
Hanukkah lasts for eight days because, though the Jewish people only had enough olive oil to burn their candle for a single night during the reclaiming of the temple, the candle actually burned for a total of eight nights. This gave the Jewish people a sufficient amount of time to replenish the candles so that they would always be burning. The burning of the candle for eight nights is the reason the holiday spans the same number of nights.
Children can be taught to light the candles on each night of the celebrations, which most kids will be happy to do. There are other ways to include your kids in Hanukkah celebrations and having a spelling contest could be one of them. “Hanukkah” isn’t the only way to spell this word, and there are actually 16 different spellings of the word. If your children are school age, you could have them look up all the different spellings and learn them all. It could possibly make the holiday even more meaningful to them.
2. All Hanukkah dishes are fried
One thing that Hanukkah foods are known for is being fried. Delectable dishes like apple fritters, jelly donuts, and more are all fried, because the Jewish fry their food in oil as a remembrance of the miracle olive oil that burned for an unbelievable eight days.
Children could assist with the preparation of these fried foods, and older kids could even do some cooking, if they’re interested in learning. Some authentic Jewish dishes that you and your children could cook in addition to apple fritters and jelly donuts are: Latkes, which are fried potato cakes, beef brisket, roasted chicken, Kugel, or egg noodle pudding, Matzo ball soup, Challah, which is a yeast-filled bread, among others.
Your family could plan to have at least one Hanukkah-inspired dish at dinner each night throughout the eight nights, or you could plan to have a feast on the last night of the celebrations. Either way, your children are bound to really enjoy helping with the preparations and even the cleaning up.
3. Gift-giving for Hanukkah didn’t always occur
Many people think of Hanukkah as a holiday similar to Christmas, in which it’s customary to give and receive gifts, but it hasn’t always been that way. Hanukkah, also known as “The Festival of Lights”, originally entailed exchanging the gelt (or Hanukkah money) with others. It wasn’t until someone decided that, since Hanukkah fell on the same day as Christmas, that it should be celebrated in the same manner as Christmas.
Teach your children about the real history behind gift-giving and Hanukkah, and you should also encourage them to make gifts to give to others, because it can make the holiday more fun and meaningful for them.
4. Special candles are lit on each of the eight nights of this holiday
The menorah is a special lamp, or “candelabrum” that holds nine candles, one for each of the eight nights that the single candle burned, as well as an extra one for lighting the other candles. There are many different menorahs that you can choose from to display in your home, and it all depends on your budget. You might even have your kids make a menorah, which can be creative and fun.
New York City, at the Grand Army Plaza, has what is said to be the largest menorah in the world, standing at 32 feet tall and weighing 4,000 pounds. This gargantuan menorah is lit for eight nights in the month of December, as a celebration of “The Festival of Lights, “for all those who celebrate Hanukkah to enjoy.
5. Hanukkah is less important than other Jewish holidays
Hanukkah is certainly an important holiday that the Jews celebrate each year, but it’s not top of their list of importance. Passover is the Jewish religion’s most frequently observed holiday because of its importance and high level of sacredness.
Rosh Hashanah is another especially significant Jewish holiday that often takes precedence over Hanukkah when it comes to level of importance. Despite these more sacred holidays, children should be taught not to minimize Hanukkah’s importance, as you can find ways together to celebrate the significance of this holiday. Find a special way for your children to acknowledge Hanukkah on each of the eight nights. Crafts, decorations and foods are just some of the ways that your children can increase the significance of Hanukkah, for your immediate family, anyway.
Most kids are creative beings, and they love being involved in activities, even if it is for somber occasions. Kids of all ages are likely to enjoy learning more about this popular Jewish holiday, as well as participate in any related activities. Children could also be included in choosing monuments for family members that may have passed away, especially if they were of Jewish decent and especially enjoyed celebrating Hanukkah. Whatever activities you and your children decide to do in celebration of Hanukkah this year, hopefully you will all enjoy yourselves and you can celebrate the triumph and courage of the Jewish rebels of the past.
