Sharing the Light

Traditionally, families have given gelt, or money, to mark the holiday, but these days, children get chocolate coins instead. The practice of exchanging gifts during Hanukkah started taking off in the 1950s, as a nod to post-war consumerism and the fact that the holiday tended to fall around the same time as Christmas.1

These days, the concept of tzedakah—charity or justice—is tied to Hanukkah. To mark the holiday, some volunteer for an organization, donate money, or perform an act of kindness, such as making dinner for an older neighbor.2

How Hanukkah Started

Like many Jewish holidays, Hanukkah has several different legacies and meanings. First and foremost, Hanukkah is a historical holiday. It commemorates the successful rebellion, in the second century B.C.E., of a clan of Jewish freedom fighters called the Maccabees.3

Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Maccabees managed to recapture the Holy Temple, the premier site of ancient Judaism, from their oppressors. Hanukkah translates to 'dedication' in Hebrew.4

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Hanukkah celebrates the miracle that occurred when the Maccabees reclaimed the Temple. The sanctuary was a shambles, torn apart by the Hellenic forces. The fighters found only enough oil to light a lantern—by which to read the Torah—for one day. But the lantern blazed for eight full days.

These five elements are part of traditional Hanukkah celebrations.

1. Light the Menorah

The centerpiece of the Hanukkah celebration is the hanukkiah, a candelabra that holds nine candles. Eight candles symbolize the number of days that the Temple lantern blazed; the ninth, the shamash, is a helper candle used to light the others.

Families light one candle on the first day, another on the second (and so on) after sundown during the eight days of Hanukkah while reciting prayers and singing songs.

2. Sing Songs

Hanukkah comes with traditional holiday songs sung around the glowing menorah. These celebrate everything from the glory of God and the ancient Temple of the Jews (Maoz Tzur) to the simplicity of a dreidel, as in "Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel/I made it out of clay/And when it's dry and ready/Oh dreidel I shall play."

3. Yummy Fried Treats

There's nothing low-fat about Hanukkah—the traditional foods of the holiday are deep-fried, caloric, and delicious. In honor of the miracle of the oil at the center of Hanukkah, Jewish people eat fried foods like sufganiyot (jelly-filled doughnuts).

4. Spinning Tops

It's customary to play with dreidels (spinning tops) during the holiday and even wager with chocolate coins on which side of the top will fall face up. The Hebrew characters carved into the four sides of today's dreidels are the first letters of "Ness Gadol Haya Po/Sham," which roughly translates to "Great Miracle Happened Here/There" (depending on whether you're in Israel or not).

5. Gold Coins

The tradition of handing out gelt (the Yiddish word for "money") can be traced back to Jews in Medieval Europe, who connected the Hebrew word for education, hinnukh.5 Parents would give their children gelt to present to their teachers, and in time, they gave their children gelt to praise them for their studies. The practice is also likely a nod to the fact that the only time Jews were historically free to mint their own coins in their own state was after the Maccabean revolt when Jewish kings governed the land around Jerusalem for over a century.

The coins distributed during Hanukkah—either real currency or chocolate-covered coins—are thus a symbol of Jewish independence.