As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, we in America consider this time of year (from the end of November to the beginning of January) the “holiday season”.  The reason people often call this the “holiday season” and not the “Christmas season” is because there are other religious/cultural holidays celebrated during this time, even though Christmas often does take center stage.*

Yesterday was the first day of the Jewish holiday Hanukkah (also spelled as Chanukah, Chanukkah, or Chanuka).  Even though in the United States Hanukkah is not as prominent as Christmas in terms of decorations, festivities, and the number of people celebrating the holiday, it is a holiday that is celebrated by over 5 million Jewish Americans living in this country.  Like Christmas, there are colors associated with this holiday and those colors are blue and yellow (the colors associated with Christmas are red and green).  There are also traditional, foods, songs, and festivities.

Hanukkah is also know as the ‘Festival of Lights’ and is a celebration of the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in 2nd century BCE.** The holiday of Hanukkah is observed by the kindling (or lighting) of one candle each night, for eight nights, on a special candle stand called a Menorah.  This is a way of remembering and celebrating how the lamp in the temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century burned for eight days even though it only had oil for one day.  Along with the lighting of candles each night, families also celebrate this holiday with special foods (like potatoes pancakes called latkes), games (one common game is played with a clay spinning top called a dreidel), and by giving small presents to family members each night.

Whether you are Jewish or not, if you grew up in the United States in the last 50 years you most likely learned a Hanukkah song in school about the Hanukkah dreidel game.  Children often sing this song in their classes or holiday pageants along with Christmas carols.  Here is a video of young children singing this song in their school holiday pageant.  I have written the lyrics to the song the children are singing below the video so you can follow along.

Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate this holiday!

* ‘to take center stage’ means to be the most prominent
**BCE stands for Before Common Era and is used interchangeably with BC which stands for Before Christ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV-qYSRF0ug

I have a little dreidel
I made it out of clay
And when it’s dry and ready
Then dreidel I shall play

Oh dreidel dreidel dreidel
I made it out of clay
And when it’s dry and ready
Then dreidel I shall play