Hanukkah Lamps, 14th-19th century. Top left, 18th century Germany. (ARTstor Collections)

Traditionally, Hanukkah is a minor, low maintenance holiday. There are no restrictions on work, unlike most Jewish holidays. ((Gay, Ruth. Unfinished People: Eastern European Jews Encounter America. New York: Norton & Company, Inc., 1996)) Hanukkah is not once mentioned in the Mishna (the first collection of the Jewish Oral Law) and the Books of the Maccabees are outside of the Jewish Canon.

In commemoration of the miracle of the oil, the Hanukkiah, or Hanukkah Lamp, was lit all eight days of Hanukkah. On the first day, only branch was lit, and every day another  was added, until on the eighth day all eight were lit. ((Rich, Tracy. “Chanukkah.” Judaism 101.))

Dreidels (Clipart Guide)

Also to commemorate the miracle of the oil, foods fried in oil were prepared. The most well-known Eastern European Hanukkah food is the latke, or potato pancake. Dairy foods were also eaten on Hanukkah, in commemoration of the story of Judith. (Judith slayed the general Holofernes by feeding him cheese and wine, then beheading him while he slept.) ((Allen, Zel. “Hanukkah with a Vegan Touch.” Vegetarians in Paradise.))

A less well known Eastern European tradition is the preparation of a goose for the Sabbath of Hanukkah. This was because geese were considered a delicacy in Eastern Europe. The fat was used to cook Hanukkah foods, or stored for use on Passover. ((Fabricant, Florence. “In Eastern Europe, goose was traditional on Hanukkah.” Moscow Pullman Daily News. 24 November 1994. 6))

The children would play a game with dreidels, four sided tops with Hebrew letters on each side. One origin story for this practice (the one I was taught as a child) is that when the children would learn torah in secret and soldiers came, they would hide their learning materials and pretend to play dreidel. In truth, the dreidel game is not a Jewish invention, but a yiddish adaptation of a german adaptation of an English/Irish game.((Golinkin, David. “The Origin of the Dreidel.” MyJewishLearning.com))They were also given Hanukkah gelt, or Hanukkah money, to enhance the joy of their holiday.

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