When celebrating Hanukkah 2015: the great Jewish holiday

Hanukkah is a famous Jewish holiday, which strikes with its beauty and unusual atmosphere of the event. Hanukkah is also called the Candle Festival. And they celebrate it in honor of the miraculous phenomenon that occurred during the illumination of the Temple after Maccabee defeated the Seleucid king of Antiochus, which happened in the second century BC. The oil that is required for the ignition of Minorah - the lamp in the temple, defiled the enemies. The Jews managed to find just a jar of untouched olive oil, which is usually enough for the day of Minor's burning. But this time a miracle happened - the lamp burned for 8 days. It is in memory of this wonderful event that Hanukkah is celebrated for 8 days, starting from the 25th day of the Jewish month under the name of Kislev. When does Hanukkah begin in 2015 and how should we celebrate this holiday?

When celebrating Hanukkah in 2015

The legend of the miracle burning lamp caused the emergence of such a beautiful Jewish holiday, as Hanukkah. The Jews celebrate it in 2015 from December 7 to 14.

According to historical events, for the first time the Jews noted Hanukkah after the victory over the soldiers a day later, so that all the fighting could gain strength. In general, the translation of the word "Hanukkah" means "renewal". And this holiday says that a military victory is a victory for one side and a defeat for the other, and you can not rejoice at another's grief. It is worth enjoying only what this victory brought to you specifically.

The Jewish people rejoiced not in the victory over the Hellenes, but in the fact that they again had freedom of spirit and the opportunity to follow their traditions. Chanukah is a memory of the resumption of the temple service, and again order appeared in the Jewish temple.

How to celebrate Chanukah: traditions, rituals

On the first day of Hanukkah it is customary to light one candle, in the second - two, in the third - three, and so reaching to 8 days, when 8 candles burn in honor of the 8 days of burning Minorah. Chanukiah - a candlestick in which all 8 candles have been placed, is usually placed on the windowsill of the temple. Such a gesture is associated with the faithfulness of religion under the name of Judaism.

In the homeland of the Jews, in Israel, Hanukkah is celebrated by everything from the smallest to the old. Throughout the festive week, the Jews are allowed to give gifts to children, and most of all cash presents are presented. The person who gave money to the child was respected and treated to festive dishes. Since Hanukkah is identified with olive oil, it is customary to eat dishes during cooking that use this ingredient. Traditional Hanukkah dishes are donuts with jam in the form of filling, which is necessarily fried in oil. In addition, on the table are often present fried fritters from potatoes, that is, the draniki habitual for us.

If in your environment there are familiar Jews, do not forget to congratulate them on the great Hanukkah holiday, which is so important for the Jewish people. Honor thus the memory of the miraculous fire, even if you belong to a different religion.