Menorah, latkes, doughnuts and dreidels!

by Maureen

This year, on December 21st at sundown begins the 8 days of Hanukkah (or Chanukah)...the Festival of Lights. Commonly, people think of Hanukkah as the Jewish Christmas. It is only per chance that Hanukkah falls in the general vicinity of Christmas. Just as Passover usually falls near Easter. And like Passover has no correlation to Easter, Hanukkah has no correlation to Christmas.

The story of Hanukkah, in a nutshell is that the Jews, led by Judah Maccabiah, tried to reclaim a Temple that had been taken over by the ancient Syrians. When they arrived, the eternal light only had enough oil to have lasted one night. As the Maccabian soldiers went to search for more consecrated oil, the oil burned for 8 nights. That is the reason Hanukkah is celebrated for 8 days. Hanukkah is a truly festive holiday.

The traditional symbols of Hanukkah are the Menorah, potato latkes and the Dreidel.

The Menorah has space for 9 candles. The center candle is lit each day and used to light the candles...one additional one per night. In Hebrew, we read right to left and the candles are lit right to left each night as well. On the first night, the center candle and the one on the far right will be lit. On the second night, the center and the 2 on the farthest right...so on and so forth.

The most infamous Hanukkah food is the potato latke (pancake)... and the doughnut. Yes, doughnuts! As the history of the holiday is based upon the oil in the lamp, the food is based upon the oil in the fryer! The modern day baked latkes just don’t stack up! Fry ‘em in lots of oil! And then top them with either applesauce or sour cream. I, being the piggy I am, prefer BOTH applesauce and sour cream ;)~ And then the fried cakes or as we call them doughnuts!

Children play a game with a four sided top which is the dreidel. (Ya know the one that was made out of clay!). Traditionally, kids were given Hanukkah gelt (coins) and then we gambled it away with the dreidel game!

Our Hanukkahs were pretty traditional growing up. We were a typical family. Each evening at sundown, we lit the Menorah, had our latkes and then got our present. We never were over-indulged. We would get one or two real presents...usually the first night and the last. In between we got our gelt...a silver dollar or a half-dollar. And little net bags of gold foiled candy coins! It seems now that kids are spoiled rotten...major gifts each night. I liked the simplicity when I was growing up. And I certainly appreciated each gift...as there were fewer, they were so much more special.

Now, as an adult (ok, old bag!)the family has a large gathering of cousins. There will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd generations of families. The kids will run wild thru the house! Us old fogies will sit around the multiple tables set up and eat! My cousin Elaine, who hosts the party will generally go thru about 25 pounds of potatoes! Latkes will be frying for hours! And there will be sugar cookies in the shapes of Stars of David, Menorahs and dreidels...all decorated in blue and white. And gold candy coins strewn about the tables. We are more cosmopolitan, so there will be doughnut holes!

I can’t really recall a “favorite” Hanukkah, but I would venture to say my most special was when I was 8, as it was the last one my father was alive for. But, every year is special that I get to celebrate with my family.

And yes, it is kewl to get a little gift each night for 8 nights, but it’s the latkes I really REALLY look forward to!