A Festival of Lights
It’s that time of the year again, where people put up decorations, have fun times with family, and celebrate the Christmas season. We all know that holiday. But, there is still another holiday for some people who don’t celebrate Christmas. This year, Hanukkah is in the month of December from the 16th to the 23rd. Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah, while Christians celebrate Christmas. Many people in our community enjoy the holiday, but other people may not know the entire story of Hanukkah.
Hanukkah is about a celebration of light. Back in 168 B.C.E., the Greeks took control of Jerusalem, which is today the capitol of Israel. The Greeks pressed their beliefs on the Jews and prevented them from expressing their own religion. In retaliation, the Jewish people formed a rebellion against the Greeks. The rebels were known as the Maccabees. After regaining control, the Jewish people celebrated. They were going to light up their ritual menorah to cleanse the Temple, but there was only one-day’s worth of oil left. They lit the candles and a miracle occurred; the oil stayed lit for eight days in a row. This is what Hanukkah is all about; the Festival of Lights.
A special part of Hanukkah includes a special toy used in that time, which is called a dreidel. Dreidels were created back in this time, as well. A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top with the four sides having letters from the Hebrew language. Because the Greeks were in control, the Jewish people were unable to express their religion and couldn’t teach it to their children. Jewish parents made the dreidels and put the letters on the sides of the dreidel to teach their children about the religion and about the Hebrew language. Learning was disguised as a game to prevent the Greek soldiers, who were always barging into their homes, from punishing them.
Hanukkah is celebrated worldwide, and it is a special part of our community. Similar to a Christmas tree, we light up the Hanukkah menorah’s candles. It’s always nice to know a lot more about something that we have heard of for years.
David, a junior residing in East Quogue, is new to The Hurricane Eye and very excited to start. He is a member of the local Boy Scout troop, Troop 62,...
