As the year draws to a close and more and more of your daily life is conducted in the darkness of winter, the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, or Chanukah, is here to bring light into the world.
Hanukkah is an ancient Jewish festival, that commemorates a miracle that took place in 164 BCE. In Jerusalem at this time, Jewish people were persecuted, and the Temple of Jerusalem was taken over and desecrated by the non-Jewish rulers of Jerusalem.
A Jewish uprising followed this, led by Judah Maccabee, and the temple was reclaimed. However, while trying to sort out the damage that had been done, the Maccabees discovered that almost all the holy oil had been spilt. There was only a tiny bottle left, enough to light the menorah for just one day. It would take a further seven days before more oil could be purified, and so they hunted everywhere for more oil, but they didn’t find any.
However, the next day when they returned to the temple, they found the tiny bottle of oil was miraculously full. They used it to light the menorah once more, and again the bottle was emptied. Yet the next day, the bottle was full! This continued for the seven days needed until more oil was purified.
Hanukkah is a Hebrew word, and due to the difficulties in transliterating words from one alphabet to another, it is also spelt Chanukah in English, and Chanoeka in Dutch. They all mean the same thing though – dedication.
The festival is named from the successful attempt of the Maccabees to re-sanctify and dedicate the Temple of Jerusalem following its desecration.
The celebration has also been known as the Festival of Lights since the end of the 19th century, due to important ritual of lighting candles just before the sun goes down.
The exact dates of Hanukkah depend on the Hebrew calendar, but it always takes place during the dark winter period of the year. The first day of the celebration begins after sunset on the 24th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev. This is usually at the end of November or beginning of December.
In 2024, it is very late in the year, starting at sunset on Wednesday, December 25 and ending at sunset on Thursday, January 2. In 2025, it will start at sunset on December 14.
The celebration takes place over eight days, the amount of time it took to re-dedicate the temple. It is primarily celebrated with family, taking place within the home, but there are also some larger, public festivities that happen.
The eight days are treated as regular working days, but as lighting the menorah is one of the most important rituals each evening, some Jewish people will finish early to ensure they can be home to light the wicks before darkness falls.
Menorahs have space for eight candles, one for each day of the festivities, and one candle is lit for the first night, two for the second, three for the third and so on until on the last day, the full menorah is lit. What may look like space for a ninth candle is actually a space for the shamash, or helper candle, the one that lights the others.
Many families exchange gifts each night, such as books or games, and "Hanukkah Gelt", or Hanukkah Money, is often given to children. It is considered an important time to give to charity, and many families will do this in lieu of giving presents among themselves.
It is common to play with dreidels during Hanukkah. These are spinning tops that determine how much of a pot of small items that you win or lose, and the game is typically played for chocolate, raisins or small change.
Fried foods are eaten to commemorate the important role of oil in Hanukkah. Latkes, a kind of potato pancake, and sufganiyah, a type of doughnut, are very popular. Sufganiyah have a particular connection to the Netherlands, with many people believing the deep-fried dough balls, which are usually filled with jam and covered in sugar, are the original version of today's popular olliebollen.
Hanukkah has been on the list of intangible Dutch heritage since 2013, and there are usually public events in the larger Dutch cities. Amsterdam in particular has a long Jewish history, and tends to hold several events.
The National Hanukkah Celebration on Dam Square takes place on Sunday, December 29, 2024 from 5pm. A menorah will be lit, and there will be live music, warm soup and, of course, deep-fried treats such as sufganiyah.
There is also now a decade-long tradition of the Royal Concertgebouw hosting the Jewish Amsterdam Chamber Ensemble for a night of Jewish celebration music. This year, it takes place on Saturday, December 28, 2024 at 8.15pm.
On Sunday, December 29, 2024 at 5pm, you can gather together to celebrate Hanukkah in the Atrium of the City Hall in The Hague. A large, Mondriaan-style menorah will be lit, followed by Jewish refreshments and music.
A large Hanukkah celebration takes place in Utrecht each year, in the Griftpark. This year, the festivities start at 4pm on Sunday, December 29, 2024. The location is covered, so you don’t need to worry about the Dutch weather, and they have a special children’s programme as well to make it fun for all the family.
Traditionally, Jewish families will place their lit menorah in the window, so the light is shared with all their neighbours, Jewish or not. So if you are out and about this December, and see a lit menorah, take a moment to think about the history behind it and say an internal thank you to the family who are sharing their light and tradition with you.