Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that is celebrated at the end of each year, more specifically the 25th day of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar. With over 7 million Jews in the US and over 4,000 in Oklahoma, it’s important to understand Hanukkah’s origins, what traditions it includes and why it’s important to those who celebrate.
Hanukkah marks the day that the Maccabean Jews regained control of Jerusalem and the Second Temple in 2nd century BCE. As of today, the holiday is also known as the Festival of Lights.
Hanukkah is celebrated throughout eight days where each night, a new candle oil light on the menorah is lit. The lights represent the miraculous oil that was found in the temple in Jerusalem. The oil burned for eight nights and provided more time for the Maccabees to find their way to the temple.
“The idea of Hanukkah is that we got through a dark period using the light of eight candles,” said English II teacher and Key Club sponsor Adam Fraser. “Hanukkah is a time where we remember hardship. I think that’s what’s really important because there was a time where we didn’t have a lot of resources, things like oil.”
Being Jewish isn’t just the religion, it’s also an ethnicity and overall culture; much like Christmas, not everyone celebrates Hanukkah for religious reasons and instead celebrates for more cultural purposes.
“I’m more ethnically Jewish than I’d say religiously, so a lot of [Hanukkah] comes down to my family,” Fraser said.
The holidays are often associated with a time of warmth, tradition and family and Hanukkah is definitely a part of that.
“My favorite Hanukkah memory would probably be my first or second time remembering having to participate in Hanukkah,” Fraser said. “I was in my grandma’s house. I just remember lighting the candles. It was really dark [but] watching them blow, having her explain it to me, was really wonderful. [My favorite part of Hanukkah] would be the family and the traditions.”
Representation of all different kinds of people is very important in ensuring that all people feel welcome, especially at Santa Fe.
“We have a lot of emphasis of Christian nationalism, especially in a country where people are free to choose their religion and however they would like to perceive or act upon it,” Fraser said. “So, my big thing is that we should just have representation for everyone, and to feel like you’re represented is important.”
Hanukkah is the most well-known Jewish holiday, but it isn’t the only one.
“There’s Rosh Hashanah and then Yom Kippur,” Fraser said. “Those are important, so I’d go ahead and take a look at that. Another one is Passover.”
This year, Hanukkah will be celebrated from the evening of Dec. 25 to Jan 2.
