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Hanukkah

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Hannukah
Around the World Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days and nights. It is in fact the only Jewish holiday that is not mentioned in Jewish scripture. It starts on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, which coincides with late November-late December on the secular calendar. In Hebrew, the word "hanukkah" means "dedication." The name reminds us that this holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C.E. Hanukkah traditions are strictly followed to celebrate the festival. One of the very important Hanukkah traditions is lighting the nine-branched candelabrum called Menorah. One candle is lit on each night of the eight-day festival. Three Jewish prayers are chanted before the candles on the Menorah are lit. According to the Hanukkah tradition, an extra candle is used to light the rest of the candles of the candelabrum. The extra candle is called as the "Shamash" or the 'servant candle', the single candle located at the middle of the candelabrum. After all the lights are kindled, Hanukkah songs are sung as part of the Hanukkah traditions. Games such as dreidel are played. Traditional Hanukkah food is cooked during the festival with oil as the key ingredient. Delicious Jelly donuts, fried latkes, pancakes, deep fried puffs are some of the most common foods served during the festival. Gift giving is another popular Hanukkah tradition. The Jewish children receive small gifts from their elder family members on Hanukkah.
Hanukkah is celebrated worldwide and as with any major holiday there are some variations on the traditions and the way it is celebrated from region to region. For example, In Germany, the eighth and last night of Hanukkah all the left-over wicks and oil are lit in giant bonfires. People would then spend the rest of the night singing and dancing around the fire into the early hours of the morning. Following the Shabbat during Chanukah, Jews in this Southern French town of Avignon go from house to house, opening and tasting new flasks of wine and toasting to the holiday. In Yemen, it is tradition that the children go from house to house, with tins in hand, to collect wicks for the Chanukah Menorah. They would chant "O father Salim, give us a present." If they received wick-ends along with fruits, candies and coins, they would respond in Hebrew - "sleep well." But if they didn't get anything, neither wicks nor goodies, they would shout in Yemenite: You miser, may your wicks be as dry as your bones!". In North Africa, women would specially commemorate the seventh day of Chanukah on which day the widow Judith is said to have performed her brave acts during the period of Syrian Greek dominance by seducing and killing Syrian top general Holofernes. In Tunis, the women come to the synagogue and file past the Torah and kiss it as they passed. Concurrently the men would complete the Talmudic study of Tractate Shabbat, containing the story of Hanukkah. There are also a few variations on Hanukkah foods around the world. In Santa Marta, Columbia instead of eating fried potato latkes they make patacones, or fried plantains. In the Moroccan Jewish community, it is typical to make svinge, which is a fried fritter made out of flour and oil, and to place chocolate, halva, sugar, and home-made jams on top of it. For jews in the middle east, Hanukkah food includes flavors like curry, black pepper, nut meg and thyme and include ingredients like matzo, potatoes, onions, olive oil, and rice. From these ingredients come dishes like the matzo ball soup.

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