Many people don’t know what Hanukkah is. Many people do and spell it in different ways. Many people celebrate by making it their own. I am not religious, and wasn’t raised religious, but I was taught by my mom, from a young age, to celebrate Hanukkah and appreciate what it represents for people that come from Jewish ethnicities. Not in a religious sense, but in a way that encapsulated excitement and remembrance.
Many of my memories from childhood have faded, but I vibrantly remember the low warm lights in December, curled up on the floor playing with dreidels, and sharing chocolate coins. Every year, my mom takes out the menorah, a metal candle holder with nine spaces, and places it on our counter. In the beginning, she would tell us what this meant. Now, she asks, “do you remember…?” Of course I remember! I may not remember the details off the top of my head, but I remember her smile telling my sister and I what Hannukah is. I remember the importance to not only her, but to her childhood, and to my Grandfather.Â
While celebrating, we would add a single candle to the menorah, placed in the center. This candle was used to light the first “official” candle, for the first night. Then a second, then a third, until eight other candles are placed, to represent the eight days of Hanukkah. These eight days symbolize the take-back of a Jewish temple in Jerusalem, in the 2nd century BCE. After having the temple stolen in a revolt against the Greek-Syrian king, it was reclaimed. Despite being severely outnumbered they won back their place of peaceful worship. To honor this, an attempt to light the menorah and rededicate their temple to their God was made. While doing this, they found that there was only enough sacred oil to light a single candle, in which they lit, and miraculously the flame blazed for eight days.
Why is this celebrated years later? How is it celebrated? Hanukkah can mean many things for many different people, but for my family, we celebrate this to honor the family that came before us, and to honor my mother’s Jewish ethnicity, which was passed onto me and my sister, however small the percentage. Undeniably important, the struggles Jewish people went through were violent, traumatic, and horrifying. In celebrating successes, no matter how long ago, the things our ancestors went through can continue to be remembered and honored. Although I don’t view this holiday from a religious sense, I view it as a memory from my childhood, and I remember the respect my father gave my family during this, even though he was raised with different religious values.Â
My family celebrates Hanukkah and Christmas, because although my sister and I weren’t raised with a specific religion, we were taught to appreciate different holidays and their meanings to our specific background. We honor my distant relatives who practiced Judaism in a way that is special to us. My mom used to cook latkes, fried potato pancakes, and although I refused to eat these, I can still remember the smell that filled our house. To this day, I love lighting the candles on our menorah, and watching the flames go out, remembering the happiness celebrating Hanukkah brought my family, and myself as a child.