Along with the most commonly celebrated holidays of Christmas and Chanukah, parents and older family members might find themselves besieged with questions from kids about the story of Chanukah and Christmas.
Here's a quick guide to fielding those questions:
What exactly is Chanukah about? Is it Christmas for Jewish people?
Chanukah and Christmas are two very different holidays, even though they both fall in the same month, and both may include gift-giving. Christmas is the celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ. Chanukah is a celebration of the small Maccabean army's victory against the large army of the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes, who destroyed the Temple and tried to forbid Jewish practice. After the Maccabees' victory, they cleaned up the Temple, and they found enough oil to last only one day. The oil lasted eight days, and that is the other miracle celebrated by Jewish people on Chanukah. The holiday is generally about celebrating keeping Judaism alive, even in difficult times.
Why Don't Jewish People Have a Christmas Tree?
Christmas trees are displays used for celebrating Christmas. Jewish people celebrate Chanukah by following Jewish traditions. Jewish Chanukah traditions include lighting candles on a chanukiah (a Chanukah menorah) each night, eating traditional foods such as potato latkes and jelly doughnuts, singing Chanukah songs and playing dreidel. Some Jewish families exchange presents as well.
Can Jewish people Go to Christmas Parties?
Many Jewish people would agree that it's fine to celebrate with friends, as long as it doesn't involve religious worship. It's even fine to help friends decorate their Christmas tree. Likewise, it's fine to invite friends of any faith to play dreidel, eat latkes or come to a Chanukah dinner.
How Do You Light a Menorah?
A Chanukah menorah, or chanukiah, has nine holders for candles. Eight represent each day of Chanukah, and the ninth, called the shamash, or helper, is used to light the other candles. One candle is lit for each day of Chanukah. The candles are lit the night before each day, as Jewish holidays always begin at sundown the night before the first day of the holiday. So two candles are lit (not counting the shamash) at sundown of the first day of Chanukah. Each night, one more candle is added, until the last night, when the chanukiah is full of candles. A special blessing is said or sung when lighting the candles, and, on the first night, an additional blessing is said that thanks God for enabling us to celebrate this season together.
Why does Chanukah Fall on Different Dates Each Year?
Jewish holidays follow the Hebrew calendar, and Chanukah always begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev. This occurs at some point during the month of December and occasionally starts at the end of November.
How Do You Spell Chanukah/ Hanukkah/ Hanuka and What Does it Mean?
The word Chanukah is a Hebrew word, which means "dedication." It is about rededicating the Temple to Jewish worship after it was reclaimed from the Syrians, who tried to destroy it. Because the word is a Hebrew word, there are various ways it could be spelled using English letters. The most common spellings are Chanukah and Hanukkah. The reason for the "ch" is that, in Hebrew, the first letter makes a sound from the back of the throat, not an "h" sound. English doesn't have a letter that makes a comparable sound, so "ch" is used to represent the sound of that Hebrew letter.
What are Latkes?
Latkes are potato pancakes fried in oil. The oil is a reminder of the miracle of the oil that lasted longer than it was expected to. It symbolizes the element of faith that we should keep in our lives when things seem tough. Latkes are usually eaten with sour cream or apple sauce on top. Jelly doughnuts are also eaten because they are fried in oil.
What is a Dreidel and How Do You Play with It?
On the holidays, kids might want to play dreidel. A dreidel is a four-sided top with a different Hebrew letter on each side. The letters each represent one word of a sentence, translating to "A great miracle happened there." All players start with a number of beans, pennies, chocolate gelt or other similar small pieces. Each player puts one of the pieces into the middle, known as the pot.
The player taking a turn gives the dreidel a spin. The dreidel spins until it lands on a side with one of the letters facing up. The letters, nun, gimel, hay and shin, each indicate what happens next. Nun represents nothing, and it's the next player's turn. Gimel means you get it all, and the player takes all the pieces in the pot. Hay is half, so the player takes half of the number of pieces in the pot. Shin means to put one in, and the player adds a piece to the pot. Then all players add another piece to the pot, and the next player takes a turn. The game continues until one player wins all of the pieces from the game.
 | Learn about the rich and meaningful history of Chanukah, which celebrates both an historical event and a miraculous story found in the Talmud, a set of commentary written by rabbinic sages. |
 | This year, Invite friends and relatives over to celebrate a happy Chanukah. Many Chanukah traditions can be expanded to include a whole crowd of partygoers, and they are easy to set up. |
 | Here are some ideas for homemade gifts for Chanukah, whether you're working with a kid or working alone. |
After several years working with international students and living in a city that has such a wealthy of diversity, not only do I get to participate in all the exciting events and opportunities for Christmas but I also get to witness first hand some other holidays as well as how other cultures may celebrate Christmas. |
In different places in the world, specific cultural flavor has been added to Chanukah traditions. Chanukah's theme celebrates Jewish survival against great odds. Chanukah is eight days long and is mostly celebrated in the home, with candle lighting, special holiday foods, songs and playing dreidel. |
