1.12.10

The Story Of Hanukkah

 Today, at sundown, is the first night of Hanukkah.  Jews are fond of making celebrations of overcoming obstacles and The Festival of Lights is no exception.

A long time ago the land of Israel (at the time Syria) was ruled by a cruel tyrant named Antiochus (Auntie-Oh-Kiss).  
He wanted all the people of the land to worship him and his Greek gods. He outlawed Judaism and forbid Jews from studying Torah.   
Antiochus set up statues of his gods in the Jewish Temple.
The Jews were outraged- one Jew smashed an idol and declared "All who want to fight for G-d, follow me".  
His name was Mattathias and he and his five sons led the fight against Antiochus and his army. Judah, the strongest of his sons was nicknamed Maccabee- which means hammer.  Succeeding his father, Judah became the leader of the freedom fighter- who were known as the Maccabees.
After three years of fighting the Maccabees won and freed the city of Jerusalem.  They cleaned out the Temple and prepared to rededicate it.  
They needed pure oil to light the menorah and they only found enough oil to keep it lit for one day.  Then a miracle happened and the menorah stayed lit for eight days.

Thus we celebrate the Festival of Lights to commemorate our religious freedom and to celebrate the miracle of the light.  Each year, on the 25th of Kislev (which this year falls on Dec 1st) we light the menorah.
Here are some photos from last year of our menorahs:
 

Spike is a Jew too:
My mom made him a kippah- so sacrilegious and cute!

Let the eight crazy nights begin!
If you have not seen this video- grab a gin and tonica and get into Hanukkah.



30 comments:

k said...

i love the famous adam song :) :) happy hanukkah!!

nunu said...

hehehe.. i like spike. happy hannukah! wow - it's early this year! enjoy your family and the festivities!

rockinkez said...

have a wonderful festival of lights!

Jude said...

Aw, I love that picture of Spike! And what awesome flashbacks with Adam Sandler's song - Happy Hanukkah!

jeanette from everton terrace said...

I just knew it was something about miracle of the oil but didn't know the whole story, it's beautiful and I'm so glad you shared it. We are not Jewish (Irish Catholics) but I find it interesting that my last name is McCabe and is often mispronounced as Maccabee. Spike looks adorable.

cpcable said...

I agree about Spike's cuteness! Happy Hanukkah!

A Crimson Kiss said...

Oh my goodness, Spike's kippah is ADORABLE! How on Earth do you keep it on him?

Punctuation Mark said...

happy Hanuka!!! Spike is just adorable!!!

Dani G said...

Spike is the cutest little Yiddle ever!!!

Happy Hanukkah!!

Renee said...

Your dog is so cute!!

Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl said...

Spike is the cutest Jew ever :)

Signe said...

Happy hanukkah!
And Spike is just the cutest little Jew I ever saw :)

Tanya (a Taste of T) said...

Love that song

Jacqui said...

Thanks for that. i was trying to remember the story of Hanukkah for James earlier - this is a nice simple version. I hope you all enjoy your crazy nights - including Spike, of course. xx

this free bird said...

Cheers lady! Happy Hanukkah!

sheba said...

happy chanukah! hope you have a wonderful time with your family and friends! p.s. i'm still craving those latkes you made!

Gorgeous Glam said...

This is just beautiful! Loved reading this. xo

and flowers pick themselves said...

AWESOME!!! loved reading this, dear!

xo Alison

Faiza said...

i know i've heard the story before but i really appreciated the refresher.

wishing you and your family a very happy hanukkah.

drollgirl said...

love that you ended w/adam sandler!

Rita said...

I love gin and tonic;)
have a happy Hanukkah!
J.

Kristin H said...

Happy Hanukkah!
My youngest son is in a Jewish school so I am continuously learning:::)

little luxury list said...

Aww Spike's kippah is awesome! Happy Hanukkah to you and your family!
Thanks for following along and I hope to be back here soon too (and yes I LOVE avocado as well!)

Lovely World said...

Happy Hanukkah to you too! My son has been frantic about his gifts, barely able to wait 'til the sun goes down. Tonight we had two pyromaniacs dripping candle wax all over the table. Ah, the joys of the miracle of lights.

jemina said...

Happy Hanukkah, and thanks so much for sharing the origin of this event

Much Appreciated
Jemina
XOXO

Mama Gone Green said...

Happy Hanukkah to you!

Josie said...

Happy Hanukkah, dear! I hope that you're having a lovely holiday with your family.
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and for your sweet comment! Yours is lovely; I can't wait for more.
xo Josie
http://winksmilestyle.blogspot.com

Bombay Beauty said...

wish you a joyous Hanukkah! xo bb

Diana Mieczan said...

Adam Sandler's song is cool. Happy Hanukkah, my dear!

Pat Tillett said...

What a great tradition this is. It's so nice when families make an effort to keep them alive!

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