There's lots of history behind favorite Hanukkah traditions such as eating latkes, lighting candles and playing with dreidels
anukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, commemorates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem that had been defiled after the Maccabean Revolt, a biblical story that — while it has— celebrates the miracle of triumph against overwhelming odds. One part of the miracle, perhaps the part most familiar to today’s celebrants, is the story of how one night’s worth of oil miraculously lasted for eight.
Though the true historical origins of the holiday may be a mystery — there aren’t many reliable sources from that period — it is possible to see how some of Hanukkah’s best-known traditions have evolved over time, particularly as the holiday has taken on more importance in the American Jewish calendar.
The tradition of using candles instead dates to 18th century Eastern Europe, when “candles became cleaner and cheaper, and people couldn’t get olive oil in the middle of the winter because it’s expensive,” historian Steven Fine, author ofand founding Director of the Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies, tells TIME. Most menorahs didn’t have branches before that time either, he says, until wealthy Germans started using them, and synagogues followed suit.
for TIME, the end of the High Holy Day season in autumn “often brought a lull in work in Jewish quarters. By pushing theas a symbol of the Festival of Lights, as opposed to the DIY-friendly latke, the Histradut could encourage the creation of more jobs for Jewish workers.” And latkes , probably the best-known example of traditional Hanukkah food, are also a relatively modern part of Hanukkah celebrations, at least as we know them today.
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