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Chanukah or Hanukkah
Beginning at sundown on the 19th December, this Jewish festival
of lights is all about rededication. It's a celebration of the victory of the
Maccabees and the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple. It also commemorates the
miracle of the oil that burned for 8 days.
Chanukah or Hanukkah is an 8-day holiday. The first night
usually includes a big family dinner with foods such as potato latkes
(pancakes), beef brisket, and jam doughnuts. After dinner everyone gathers to
light the menorah candles -- a new one each night until they are all lit.
Blessings and songs are part of the ceremony. Children then get to open gifts
from family and friends. They play games with toys such as the traditional
dreidel and chocolate coins, called gelt.
Dreidels
 Each
person starts the game with a supply of counters. There is also a pile of
counters in the centre, the pot. The players take turns spinning the dreidel.
The letter that lands facing up on the dreidel tells the player what to do with
the counters.
Gimmel = get: the player
gets everything in the pot.
Hay = half: the player takes half of what is in
the pot.
Nun = none: the player gets nothing.
Shin = share: each player must put one counter
in the pot.
The player who has all the counters at the end wins!
Hanukat
A playful interactive way for children to celebrate Hanukkah.
There are stories about HanuKat, Dreidels to make, a Hanukkah lesson plan and
much, much more!
Holidays on
the net
A wealth of information and fun things to do. There are Chanukah blessings and
music. Stories, games to play, pictures to paint and things to make. You can
even send a Chanukah greeting card.
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