Hanukiah in Orchard Road Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
After the festival of lights for Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, Diwali, along comes another festival of light. In Chinese dominated but ideologically multi-cultural Singapore, Hanukah in 2021 is celebrated from the evening of Sunday 28th December to Monday 6th December. The festival lasts for eight days.
To interest Christian guests at a Toastmasters online meeting, I wanted to know when the events commemorated in the festival took place, before or after Jesus, and, if before, would Jesus have celebrated the festival?
Oddly, the answer came from a website run by Jews for Jesus, a group ignored and regarded with suspicion by Jews, because it is active in trying to convert Jews to Christianity.
Anyway, despite my wariness, (I wondered, would the website be anti-Jewish?), the website was very handy to me, because it answered my question.
Jesus and Hanukah
The events commemorated by the festival happened in 165 BCE. BC stand for Before Christ. Jews and others prefer BCE, which stands for Before our Common Era.
Jesus celebrated all the Jewish festivals, including Hanukah. The Festival is mentioned in the New Testament in the book of John. The New Testament call it The Feast of Dedication. A Syria of 165 BC had taken over the temple, sacrificed a pig deliberately to cause outrage and installed 'idol worship' of Greek gods. A resistance movement dominated by a family nicknamed the Maccabees (hammers) succeeded in ousting the interlopers and restoring the temple. However, they had only enough oil for one night. Miraculously, the original oil lasted eight days until new supplies could be brought. The symbolic light and joy have amplified into celebrations inculding lighting a new candle on the candelabra every evening, whether a small one at home or a tall one in a public place. Plus lots of coourful and family fun activities, plus filling food and sweets.
The Menorah and Hanukiah
Menorah at synagogue in Sofia, capital of Bulgaria
Nine branch hanukiah for hanukah outside synagogue in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
Hanukah For Children
Children enjoy Hunakah because of the fun of making the eight branch candlestick - a favourite activity organized by synagogues. Also lighting the candles. A gift every day - such as Hanukah gelt, or money, which is chocolate money wrapped in gold foil.
Hanukah Food with oil
Foods cooked with oil recall how the oil enough to light the temple restored to the Jews, sufficient for one night, lasted 8 nights.
Foods cooked with oil include potato latkes (fried grated potato), and donuts.
Hanukah Gelt
Chocolate coins with gold colour covering. Showing menorahs.
If you want to order a Hanukiah and the candles you had better get organized now.
The Hanukiah
The hanukiah is different from the menorah. The menorah has seven branches, one for each day of the week. It is lit on the eve of the Sabbath. The woman of the house, or female guest of honour, recites a prayer (in Hebrew) with her eyes covered in order to concentrate and open the eyes to the joy of the light. Of course, if you are Israeli, and Hebrew is your first language, reciting a prayer in Hebrew is not a challenge, as it would be for an English speaking Jewish person.
The hanukiah has eight branches, one for each of the days of Hanukah. The central and ninth is for the shamash or helper candle which lights the others.
Menorahs and Hanukiahs Around The World
Menorah outside the Knesset, Parliment building, Jerusalem.
Useful Websites
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2020/12/where-to-see-hanukiah-and-how-to-make.html
https://reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/hanukkah?
About the author
Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5
The Author of several books, including Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.
Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com
dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com
Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President
Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time.
Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;
Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;
Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.
More details from Toastmasters International find a club.
Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.
Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.
Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.
Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.
Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.
Language and speech workshops in Singapore.
Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.
Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.
Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.
Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.
Read the previous post on Diwali.
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