Hanukkah

25 Kislev – 2 Tevet 5785

We find the winter months to be the most uncomfortable time of the year. It rains continuously; rolling fog transforms everything into a ghostly landscape, and the nights get longer and longer. Amid this dark time, the Chanukah festival brings joy and hope. Similar to Christmas, candles, songs, delicious foods, and entertaining board games play an important role in this celebration.

Chanukkah commemorates the victory of the Jewish Maccabees over Hellenistic culture and the rededication of the Second Temple in the year 164 BCE. According to legend, a small vessel of consecrated oil was found in the desecrated temple, which was used to light the temple's menorah. And here the great miracle happened: Although the amount of oil should have lasted for a maximum of one day, it was able to keep the menorah burning for eight days—that is until new, pure oil could be produced. Since then, on each of the eight evenings of the Hanukkah festival, a candle is lit on the nine-branched menorah and placed visibly in a window. With the display of the lit candles on the menorah, a sign is set against the assimilation into "foreign cultures." Whether the Maccabees would have agreed to give children small gifts at Chanukah in line with Christmas, we can discuss in the candlelight of the Weihnukka tree. And since it is so cozy, we should also discuss whether the date of the two festivals could have something to do with the ancient sun god Mithras.