The Festival of Lights
Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is celebrated for eight days beginning with the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, which takes place some time in December. This post-Biblical festival marks the triumph of the Jews in the second century BCE over the Syrians-Greeks. The Greeks wanted the Jews to abandon their religion and adopt Greek culture, which some of the Jews soundly resisted. The reason for celebrating Hanukkah for eight days is associated with the following story:
When the Maccabees recaptured Jerusalem and cleansed the Temple, they found only one tiny vial of oil to illuminate the menorah. And as the story is told, it was expected that this tiny amount of oil would last for only one day, but it lasted for eight days. Today, we celebrate Hanukkah to mark the Jew’s ancient victory over destructive forces, and thank God for miracles large and small.
At Fabrangen, we have a community Hanukkah celebration, where we invite people to bring a Menorah or Hanukkiyah for candlelighting, sing joyous songs, both traditional and modern, and eat lots of delicious homemade potato latkes.
Check our calendar for information about this year’s Hannukah celebration.