So, today is the first day (last night was the first night) of Chanuka. This holiday is also known as the Festival of Lights: many of us light multiple chanukiyas (Chanuka Menorahs), and some of us actually use oil and not candles for the illumination source.
Note: Chanuka is a MINOR festival. (More on this below.) Yeah, I know, many folks try to make it a competitor to Christmas, but it simply isn’t. Moreover, this is a private celebration- we light the Chanukiya in our homes and not in synagogues.
Chanuka dates back to 165 BCE. (The correct term is Before the Common Era, NOT BC, because there are a slew of religions out there- and while Christianity has the most adherents [2.4 billion], there’s Islam [1.9 billion], Hindu [1.2 billion], Buddhism [500 million], among others. Historians have recognized that Christianity is not even half the world’s population, adopting the terms BCE and CE, instead.)
This year marked the revolt by the Makabi (Maccabees) against the Hellenic king, Antiochus (IV), where the Great Temple was captured and cleansed of the idols placed their by Antiochus. A cruse of pure oil was found- which one would think would only last 1 day- but it lasted for 8 days to afford enough time for more oil to be produced and refined and continue to keep the menorah lit.
Which is why Chanuka is an 8-day holiday; Our practice today is each day we add an additional candle to the Chanukiya, until all 8 acan be fully lit. The first night, we recite three blessings (a common special blessing is stated for the fist time we do something new (thanking Hashem for letting us revel in life, in fulfillment of our obligations, and reached the special day to celebrate); the other two blessings are recited commemorating the lighting of the candles and for providing us the miracle of this holiday that still resonates among us today.
With the massive migration of Jews that arrived in the USA between 1881 and 1924 (raising the population of the Jews from a few hundred thousand to about 2.5 million), the immigrants saw the elaborate Christmas giftathons and decided providing their children with small gifts each of the 8 nights of Chanuka might help their kids subscribe to the American Dream theory and the better prospects that American life offered the Jews.
And, now, I will share some special “light” festivals that aren’t Jewish in origin that exist this time of year. Because who doesn’t like a well-lit vista?
This year I celebrated Thanksgiving with a most special friend and her family in a remote portion of Indiana. The townsfolk celebrate the founding of their “village’ (sorry- it’s NOT a city) on the banks of the Missouri River, which separates Indiana and Kentucky. Above you can see a few of the lights of that celebration.
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The next week, my city, Alexandria, celebrated the Potomac River and the season. Folks decorate their boats with lights to participate in the Boat Parade of Lights. (This year, Amazon, which is building a high-tech biz/educational complex in what used to be known as Alexandria, District of Columbia, sponsored the event.)
And, the next week, I had a great visit at the US Botanical Garden. In addition to educating us about agriculture, flora, and fauna, miniature (Ok, not THAT small) replicas of various DC monuments decorate the glass building. And, there is a train exhibit to help celebrate the season. (NOTE: Both the NY Botanical Garden and the US Botanical Garden have trains adorning the flowers and grasses- and the exhibits continue through early January. You should go and see them in person!)
(I capped the evening with a visit to Mr. Henry’s, a long-time jazz space in DC. [It’s the space where Roberta Flack was “discovered’.] A great cap to my visit.
And, yesterday, Ukraine decided that the parallels between Chanuka (where light was restored to the Great Temple) and their country (which daily- or hourly- must restore power, water, and light to its cities as Russia continues its war crimes) meant they, too, would celebrate Chanuka.
May the Festival of Lights illuminate your life!
