Speaking Volumes: Happy Hanukkah! The Jewish festival of lights starts Sunday

Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights is celebrated during the holiday season. Sometimes spelled Chanukah (depending on translation), it is observed for eight nights in the month of December. This year is will be observed from Dec. 22-30.

The holiday celebrates families and each night is marked by lighting a candle on the menorah, the giving of gifts, and serving traditional dishes such as latkes. The festival marks a successful Jewish revolt (the Maccabees) against the oppressive Greek rulers of Judea in about 167 BCE. According to the first book of Maccabees, the Greek rulers (the Seleucids) had enacted laws that restricted religious thought and practice in Judea. With these laws, the Seleucids forced Jews to worship Greek gods and observe sacrificial rites. The ensuing revolt ultimately secured religious freedom.

When the victorious Maccabees returned to their temple in Jerusalem, they found it in disarray, and the Eternal Light which burned there day and night had burned out. Some oil was located to last one day. However, a miracle occurred: the light continued to burn for eight days.

If you want to know more about Hanukkah and other Jewish traditions, your local library can help. We have a number of books on the subject of Hanukkah in our children’s area, and these are great for adults too, as they are often concise sources of information. “All About Hanukkah” by Judye Groner and Madeline Wikler is an example of a one-stop source, as is David A. Adler’s “The Story of Hanukkah, which focuses more on the Maccabees’ victory over the Seleucids. It discusses the historical background, religious customs such as blessings, music and even modern games for the entire family.

There are other books that focus on individual families and their observance of the holiday festival, which runs for eight days from late November and early December. One such book is “My Hanukkah” by Monica Hughes. This focuses the traditions of a Jewish family, from cooking latkes (cakes made of potato) to dreidel games. Another, “Hanukkah Moon”, by Deborah de Costa, is a fictional story of a young girl who visits her aunt and learns about Hanukkah. Michelle Edwards’ “Papa’s Latkes” is a story of a father and his two daughters as they make latkes and celebrate the holiday the first year after the death of the children’s mother.

Harriet Ziefert’s “Hanukkah Haikus” offers haikus for all eight days of the festival. There are two other books that focus on families that celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. There include Danielle Novack’s “My Two Holidays: A Hanukkah and Christmas Story” and Aiko Selina’s “Daddy Christmas and Mama Hanukkah”. Both books touch on the traditions of families who are of two religions.

The library also has some DVDs. “Hanukkah and Passover”, part of the “Holidays for Children” series, discusses the history of Hanukkah and various traditions and “Shalom Sesame: Volume 2, Chanukah, the Missing Menorah” is a “Sesame Street” program that explores Hanukkah in an entertaining story featuring some familiar friends, such as Grover.

You can find these and other materials about holidays around the world can be found at your local library.

David Breakfield is a librarian at the Central Library in downtown Bradenton. Speaking Volumes, written by Manatee County Public Library System staff members, is published each Sunday in the Bradenton Herald.

This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 9:25 AM.