Chanukah Customs
To celebrate Chanukah, Jews light a Chanukiah (the holiday lamp, often referred to as a Menorah) for eight days -- increasing the light each day. The idea is to light candles, one new one for each night, adding up to eight by the last night of the holiday. The candles are lit with a ninth candle, referred to as a Shammash ("helper"). If you want to be really authentic, you can light little olive oil cups with wicks in them, available at any Judaica store. One lights the newest candle first, which is placed on the left, so the order of lighting (left to right) is opposite to the order of adding (right to left.) Before the candles are lit, the Brachot (blessings) below are recited.
Lighting the Candles
On the first night of Chanukah, put one candle on the right side of your Chanukiah, and say these blessings before lighting it. Light the Chanukiah BEFORE lighting Shabbat candles, if applicable.
Barukh atah adonai, elohenu melekh ha'olam, asher kidshanu bemitsvotav, vetsivanu lehadlik ner shel chanukah.
You are the Source of all blessing, Eternal One, our God, Sovereign over space and time, that has sanctified us through Your commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light.
Barukh atah adonai, elohenu melekh ha'olam, she'asah nisim la'avotenu bayamim hahem bazman hazeh.
You are the Source of all blessing, Eternal One, our God, Sovereign over space and time, that made miracles for our ancestors, in those days, at this season.
On the first night only, we add:
Barukh atah adonai, elohenu melekh ha'olam, shehekheyanu vekiyemanu, vehigi'anu lazman hazeh.
You are the Source of all blessing, Eternal One, our God, Sovereign over space and time, that has given us life, and sustained us, and allowed us to reach this season.
On the second night, put two candles in, and light starting from the "new" candle on the left, reciting only the first two blessings. Keep on increasing each night, until you've got all eight candles lit.
The lighting of the Chanukiah is done at home, at dusk or when the family has gathered. Some people put the Chanukiah in the window for the purpose of "publicizing the miracle." In many synagogues, special prayers of thanksgiving are added to the services, and a special Chanukah paragraph is added to the Birkat HaMazon - the blessing after the meal.
Other Customs
In addition to the beautiful ritual of kindling the Chanukah lights, there are many other customs to help celebrate this fun-filled holiday. Foods such as latkes and doughnuts remind us of the oil of the miracle, games and songs help express our joy and gratitude, and stories help explain the different aspects of the holiday.
Oy So Oily Foods!
The featured ingredient in all classic Chanukah foods is oil. The oily cuisine remind us of the single small cruse of ritually pure oil that miraculously burned for eight days. It also reminds us to watch our cholesterol intake once Chanukah is over.
One of the most popular dishes among Ashkenazic Jews is Latkes or Levivot - potato pancakes made from grated potatoes mixed with eggs, onions, and flour, and fried in vegetable oil. Good Latkes are crispy on the outside yet soft inside. They are usually served with applesauce or sour cream.
In Israel, Sufganiyot are the most popular Chanukah treat. Sufganiyot are jelly or custard filled doughnuts. The doughnuts are fried in oil and served hot, sprinkled with powdered sugar. But be forewarned - Sufganiyot can be dangerous! I have a small scar on my lip from boiling hot custard shooting out of a fresh Sufganiyah bought from a street vendor in Jerusalem. For years now that little ridge on my inner lip has been a year-round reminder of the sweetness (and heat) of Chanukah.
Sevivon Sov Sov Sov!
Sevivon is the Hebrew name for dreidel, the popular Chanukah game. What's a dreidel, you say? A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side - Nun, Gimmel, Heh and Shin. Outside of Israel, the letters stand for Nes Gadol Hayah Sham - "A Great Miracle Happened There." In the Land of Israel, a Pey is in place of the Shin, meaning Nes Gadol Hayah Po - "A Great Miracle Happened Here". The letters also (conveniently) stand for the Yiddish words Nisht ("nothing"), Gantz ("all"), Halb ("half") and Shtell ("put"), which tell us how the game is played.
The game begins by each player taking a supply of pennies, nuts or chocolate "gelt" and contributing some into the "pot". Each player in turn spins the dreidel. When the dreidel stops, the latter facing up determines what you need to do. If it lands on Nun, "nothing" happens. If it lands on Gimmel - you "get" everything in the pot (and then each player contributes more). If the dreidel lands on the Heh - then "Half" is taken from the pot. If it lands on Shin or Pey, - you "Put" something into the pot.
How did the dreidel come to be part of Chanukah? Although the four sided spinning top is actually a traditional European toy, legend has it that when Antiochus ruled over Israel and outlawed the study of Torah, many Jews defiantly continued to study, doing so in secret. In order to hide their true activity, they would keep a dreidel at hand. If they were found by Antiochus’ troops, they would stop discussing Torah and pretend to play dreidel. With the dreidel as a tool of rebellion, the study of Torah was kept alive.
And One New Custom...
It is should be noted that the practice of gift-giving was only added in modern times in communities where Christmas was predominantly observed, with its associated custom of giving Christmas presents. Traditionally, Chanukah "gelt" (now chocolate coins) were distributed. Jews adopted the practice of gift giving as a way of avoiding their children's jealousy of their Christian friends. Today, especially in North America, it has become a fairly widespread practise, extending, in extreme cases, to the giving of an additional gift each of the eight nights. Some families have a tradition to make one night "book night" one night "arts & crafts night", one night "tzedakah night" etc.
For ways of making each night of Chanukah special see Reb Jeremy Schwartz' suggestions.
