First Day of Hanukkah (2024)

FAQs

What do you do the first day of Hanukkah? ›

One candle is lit on the first night of Hanukkah, and an additional candle is lit on each successive night, until, on the eighth night, the Chanukiah is fully illuminated. Hanukkah is also called the Feast of Lights or Festival of Lights due to the importance of the candle-lighting.

First Day of Hanukkah 2023

The first day of Hanukkah marks the start of Hanukkah, also known as Chanukah or Festival of Lights. Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish observance that remembers the Jewish people's struggle for religious freedom. On the first day of Hanukkah, only the shammash and the first candle are lit.

On the first night of Hanukkah, place a candle in the holder on the far right, and light it with the shamash. Then put the shamash back in its spot (leaving it lit). On the second night, light the candle second from the right, then the candle on the far right, and replace the lit shamash.

Hanukkah (or Chanukah) begins at sundown on Sunday, December 18, 2022, and ends the evening of Monday, December 26, 2022 (8 nights).

On the first night of Hanukkah add this blessing: Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, shehecheyanu v-ki'y'manu v-higianu la-z'man ha-zeh. Blessed are you, Our God, Ruler of the Universe, for giving us life, for sustaining us, and for enabling us to reach this season.

A perfect Hanukkah meal might start with matzoh ball soup, have a traditional brisket at the center and a stack of potato latkes on the side. If brisket is not your thing, a simple roasted chicken would serve very nicely, too.

Hanukkah is celebrated in several ways. In addition to lighting each day one candle on the menorah, religious rituals can include daily reading of Scripture, recitation of some of the Psalms, almsgiving, and singing of a special hymn.

The first day of Hanukkah is the start of a celebratory period in which a four-sided toy called dreidel is used for games. The first night of Hanukkah is also a night when people sing traditional songs to celebrate Hanukkah. Gift-giving is also popular at this time of the year.

Even though there was only enough untainted olive oil to keep the menorah's candles burning for a single day, the flames continued flickering for eight nights, leaving them time to find a fresh supply. This wondrous event inspired the Jewish sages to proclaim a yearly eight-day festival.

The first night ritual is joyous. I usually cook a family dinner laden with delicious fried foods, such as fried potato latkes and jelly donuts, to honor the miracle. After dinner, our family gathers to light the menorah candles, recite blessings, and sing songs.

Do you give a gift on the first day of Hanukkah? ›

Traditionally, gifts were not a part of Hanukkah. Instead gelt -- a small amount of money or chocolate coins -- was given to children. However, some parents now include gift giving in their Hanukkah festivities.

“It's not historically part of Hanukkah at all.” In that, gift-giving on Hanukkah is not unlike gift-giving on Christmas — it has little, if anything, to do with the religious requirements of the celebration.

Eight candles symbolize the number of days that the Temple lantern blazed; the ninth, the shamash, is a helper candle used to light the others. Families light one candle on the first day, two on the second (and so on) after sundown during the eight days of Hanukkah while reciting prayers and singing songs.

Take part in Chanukah traditions such as lighting the menorah, playing the dreidel game, eating gelt, cooking and baking delicious food, and enjoying the fun of Hanukkah gifts.

The last day of Hanukkah is the eighth day of Hanukkah. It is known as Zose Hanukkah, Zos Hanukkah or Zot Hanukkah. It marks the day on which the great miracle of oil occurred, according to Jewish belief. It is a particularly special day because it encapsulates all of Hanukkah.

"Hanukkah sameach," which means "happy Hanukkah," can be used to greet one another during the festival.

Throughout the eight days of Hanukkah, Jewish families like mine celebrate by eating latkes (fried potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (fried jelly doughnuts). Notice a theme? Traditional Hanukkah foods are often fried because they're reminders of the oil in the legendary Hanukkah story.

Three popular foods eaten on the Jewish holidays include loukoumades, pancakes, and latkes. Loukoumades are deep-fried puffs dipped in honey or sugar to represent the cakes the Maccabees ate, along with sufganiyot and zelebi.

What are the 2 miracles of Hanukkah? ›

There was only one small cruse of pure oil, enough to light the menorah in the Temple for one day. But it lasted eight days, in time to produce new pure oil and the menorah was able to remain lit and never burn out. This miracle is attributed to God and the faith that the Jews had in God.

Each night, one additional candle is lit by the shammash until all eight candles are lit together on the final night of the festival. Other Hanukkah festivities include singing Hanukkah songs, playing the game of dreidel and eating oil-based foods, such as latkes and sufganiyot, and dairy foods.

First, we should acknowledge that Christmas is a Christian holiday, and Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday. Hanukkah although widely celebrated among the Jewish community is not the biggest holiday for the Jewish people.

Exact coincidence of Hanukkah with Christmas

In 2005, the sunset of December 25 coincided with 25 Kislev, the first night of Hanukkah, making Christmas Day and the beginning of Hanukkah the same day. This will not happen again until 2024.

According to the Jewish Virtual Library and The Pluralism Project at Harvard University, Hanukkah is considered a minor religious holiday because it is not mentioned in Jewish scripture but instead included in the Books of the Maccabees.

The plain answer to this question is, yes, Jews, particularly in America, do give gifts for Hanukkah in a way that is similar to Christmas.

Traditional foods include potato latkes, applesauce and brisket. Spinning the dreidel (a four-sided top) for “Hanukkah gelt” (gold-wrapped chocolate coins) is another part of the celebration. Your host might appreciate gifts of chocolate, gourmet applesauce, candles, books or board games.

Some prefer to follow the older custom of giving gelt. They give a dollar the first night, two the second night and so on. This adds up to $36—and happily, the number 36 is “double chai” (18 is the numerical equivalent of chai, the word for “life” in Hebrew).

admin. The Mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles: The minimum obligation is that every household should have one candle burning every night. It is customary to be scrupulous regarding this mitzvah: to have one candle on the first night and an additional candle every night (1-8), and everyone in the house as well.

So, find their favorite bottle of liquor, and give them a simplistic, yet fantastic gift this holiday! With the bottle of liquor, you could also add some gelt to this gift set to make it one of the coolest and most memorable first night of Hanukkah gifts ever!

What do people do for each day of Hanukkah? ›

Hanukkah is celebrated in several ways. In addition to lighting each day one candle on the menorah, religious rituals can include daily reading of Scripture, recitation of some of the Psalms, almsgiving, and singing of a special hymn.

Any animal that does not have cloven hooves or which does not chew its cud is forbidden to be eaten on Hanukkah. Such animals include camel, hyrax, hare, pig etc. Any product derived from a forbidden animal is also prohibited, including fat, organs, milk, meat and eggs.

A simple 'Happy Hanukkah' in your native language would be greatly appreciated, but if you want to try Hebrew (the language used for Jewish prayer and study) then say 'Hanukkah Sameach! ' which means 'Happy Hanukkah! '. There is also 'Chag Sameach!

Although Hanukkah does not correspond to a specific traditional outfit, rule of thumb is to use a combination of blue and white colours in your dress or outfit. Colours blue and white hold a great symbolic significance to Jewish people.