Often referred to as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah (or Chanukah) is a Jewish holiday celebrated with family, food, and fun. For eight days each year, believers will carry on traditions of lighting candles, eating oil-fried foods, spinning dreidels, and honoring the miracles that founded Hanukkah more than 2,000 years ago.
Hanukkah is celebrated on different days each year because it follows the Hebrew calendar, starting on the eve of Kislev 25, which typically falls between late November and mid-December of the Gregorian calendar. This year's festivities begin on Thursday, December 7th, and end on Friday, December 15th.
Chag Sameach! ~ Happy Hanukkah!
Below are five Hanukkah-themed things to teach your kids this week.
1. A silly joke.
Donut hold back on this funny joke.
How did the sufganiyot feel after eating a large meal? Jam-packed!
Want to make your own jelly donuts? We've got a recipe for that!
2. A new vocabulary word.
On the sides of a dreidel, you'll find four symbols (nun, gimel, hey, and shin) that represent the saying, "Nes Gadol Hayah Sham." This translates to "a great miracle occurred there."
Once you know each symbol, it's time to play. Click here for simple instructions on how to play dreidel.
3. A word puzzle.
To solve a rebus, consider not just the words but the placement, size, color, and quantity of everything within the box (and sometimes just outside the box!) when trying to decipher the puzzle.
4. A fun fact.
Is it Hanukkah or Chanukah or something else entirely?
Hanukkah can be spelled in many different ways because there is no correct translation between Hebrew sounds to English. "Hanukkah" is the most commonly used version, while "Chanukah" is considered the more traditional option.
Learn more about transliteration (swapping one language system to another) and how Hanukkah came to be spelled as it is from Amy Tikkanen at britannica.com.
5. Teach a personal discovery.
Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of a small amount of oil lasting for eight days, well beyond what was ever imagined possible. Have you ever experienced a miracle?
"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." –Edith Wharton
