Ellen Cameron
Staff Writer

Happy Hanukkah!

Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday, begins today, but at sundown, specifically. One of the interesting things about most Jewish holidays is that most don’t technically begin until the sun has set.

Another interesting thing about Hanukkah is its presence as a winter-solstice holiday. Like Christmas, the setting of Hanukkah is rather random and most likely derives its date not from an actual historic anniversary, but from the pagan winter solstice holidays that converts didn’t want to stop celebrating. While the presence of pagan rituals is far more subdued in Judaism than in Christian, the influences are nonetheless there.

Hanukkah is famous for the omnipresent menorah and dreidel. However, Hanukkah is actually much more than spinning a little clay toy and singing “dreidel dreidel dreidel, I made you out of clay…” Instead, it is the celebration of the re-establishment and re dedication of one of the most important temples in Jeruselum. Literally, the word derives from the Hebrew word for “consecration.”

So wish your Jewish friends a happy Hanakkuh- but not until after 6 p.m.

For more information about Hanakkuh, click here.