- Hanukkah is an awesome holiday.
- Fried foods like latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly donuts) are delicious.
- Lighting the menorah brings friends, families, and communities together.
Many Jewish holidays can be summed up as "We fought, we won, now let's eat," and Hanukkah is no exception.
The story goes that while the Jews were living under the Greek empire around 166 BC, King Antiochus IV outlawed Judaism and defiled the Holy Temple that stood in Jerusalem by sacrifing pigs on the altar. A small Jewish army called the Maccabees led a rebellion against the Greeks and won. When they returned to the Temple to relight the ritual menorah (candelabra), they only found enough oil to last one day, but it miraculously lasted eight.
Jewish people commemorate the Maccabees' victory during Hannukah by lighting a menorah for eight nights and with fried foods made with oil.
Hanukkah is one of the most recognizable, widely-celebrated Jewish holidays around the world — for good reason. Here are 10 reasons why we can't get enough of the Festival of Lights.
Hanukkah is eight days long.
That's eight days of parties, presents, and festive foods.
The dreidel game is strangely addictive.
"Dreidel" is Yiddish for "spinning top." It has four sides with a different Hebrew letter on each one. Players start with a supply of coins, chocolate or otherwise, and take turns spinning. Depending on which letter the top lands on, they put a coin in the middle, skip their turn, win half of the coins, or take home the entire pot.
Legend has it that when the Greeks outlawed Jewish practices, people would continue studying sacred texts in secret and whip out this simple game if anyone asked what they were doing.
Latkes, fried potato pancakes traditionally eaten on Hanukkah, are delicious.
They go perfectly with applesauce, sour cream, and a variety of dipping sauces.
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