Happy Hanukkah, Boys and Girls!
How do you celebrate this holy day of Judaism, the religion of the Jewish community? I’ve written a number of Blog posts to explore the history and the meaning behind these honored eight days, but here are some totally new facts about Hanukkah that you maybe didn’t know. Check out these three interesting points:
Enough Sufganiyot for Everyone!
Sufganiyot is a traditional doughnut treat that folks really fill up on during this celebration! First, the doughnut is deep-fried, then filled with jam or custard, and then topped with powdered sugar. There are about 17.5 million of these oily, little doughnuts eaten in Israel and during Hanukkah. That’s a lotta doughnuts!
You'd Better be Gambling in There…
Ever wonder how the dreidel became such a popular Hanukkah tradition? Well, back in the days of Greek oppression, studying the Torah was considered illegal. When the Greeks would make surprise raids, these quick-thinking students would stash the Torah under a sheet and start rolling a dreidel as though they were playing a simple, gambling game all along. Pretty sneaky, eh?
Are You Sure it’s Supposed to be Eight Days?
Yeah. Hanukkah is celebrated over the course of eight days, but the miracle of the oil really only lasted seven, right? When the Maccabees recaptured the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, it’s true that they found a jar of oil to use that was naturally supplied to them—nothing miraculous, you might think. But including the front day in the celebration signifies that everything of the ‘natural’ world is a miracle from God.
Did you already know any of these holiday facts about the celebration of Hanukkah? We hope you learned something today! And be sure to check out our new Hanukkah print apparel that we have available for the holiday by clicking here! And, as always, thanks for reading!
- John