What to expect - the lighting of the Hanukiah, eating donuts, or chocolate coins covered in gold foil, and hearing Hanukah songs and kletzmer music. I checked when sunset was in London and it was 3.55 pm. (Dark so early!) Thank goodness the shortest day is soon, Wednesday December 21st.
Where can you join in celebrations? Jewish museums and restaurants.
Expect to see hanukiahs (nine branched candlesticks) in London, Scotland, Berlin, New York and Jerusalem.
The nine branches are for a candle for each of the eight days, plus the physically higher candle which is the servant candle lighting the others.
Tomorrow, Monday, December 19th 2022, is the second night of the eight day festival of Hanukah, or Festival of Lights. First, let's just recall the second temple.
The first temple was built by Solomon.
The Babylonians in about 500 years BC destroyed the temple and carried a large number of the Jews from the north off to Babylon (now roughly Iraq). Remember operas and modern songs based on bible stories like 'the rivers of Babylon' where "we wept, when we remembered Zion'. Psalm 137 recalled the rivers of Babylon, which inspired Verdi's opera Nabucco (Italian for Nebuchadnezzar).
Jews were later allowed to return under the Greeks, and to worship in a new, bigger, better second temple.
Then a new ruler, Greek Antiochus, reversed the policy. He banned the Jews from entering the temple, dedicated it to Roman gods. he banned circumcision and, to make sure the temple was definitely off limits to Jews, he ordered it to be deliberately desecrated with sacrificed pigs.
A civil war ensued. The traditionalist rebels were led by the Maccabees, whose name means hammer. They eventually re-captured Jerusalem and restored the temple.
The dedication included installing the light using oil. Uncontaminated oil, mythology says, was only enough for one night - but miraculously lasted 8 days!
Jesus was with his fellow Jews in Jerusalem, in the Second Temple, at the Festival of Lights (New Testament book of John 10). this festival celebrated the re-dedication of the Second Temple.
According to John, Jesus said, during the ceremony, I am the light. This metaphor echoes various other biblical metaphors about light.
The Festival was also described as the Festival of Lights, at least about 50 years later, by first century Roman Josephus. (He was a former Jewish army leader who notoriously and, disastrously, for the Jews, switched sides, handing victory to the Romans). Josephus wrote the history of the Jews from the point of view of the conquering Romans.
Now, a couple of thousand years later, these events are commemorated by oil based foods such as potato latkes (grated potato which is friend in oil) and donuts which contain more and more flavours, every year. No longer just red jam, but like ice cream is not longer vanilla strawberry and chocolate, as many flavours as the cooks can create and the restaurants, delis and supermarkets can sell.
Did it happen the way I describe it, or the way the bible and ancient texts describe it? I shall not let doubts about the truth get in the way of a good story, pretty lights and eating donuts. The story might not be a hundred per cent truthful, and the donuts may not be a hundred per cent healthy, but it is dark and cold outside so let there be light and filling food.
Useful Websites
https://london.eater.com/2022/12/18/23512657/where-to-celebrate-hanukkah-london
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