Happy Hanukkah

Hanukkah, which means “dedication,” begins today at sundown. Eight days, it is a minor Jewish festival that is not scripturally based in the Hebrew bible, but traces to the history of Judas Maccabeus in the apocryphal books 1st Maccabees chapter 4 (verses 36-59), 2nd Maccabees chapter 1 (verse 18), and 2nd Maccabees chapter 10 (verses 1-9) and was mentioned centuries later in the Talmud. Its horrific, violent and bloody origin is generally lost in the loveliness of the modern celebration. Hanukkah has become a significant Jewish event more or less because it comes around Christmas-time and developed as compensation to Jewish children for the joyous greetings and gift giving and receiving that Christmas entails for Christian children. 

To the minor festival ordered in Maccabees, the ancient story of the wondrous eight-day oil in the Temple seems to have been added hundreds of years after the actual historic event, and gives rise to the eight day lighting of Hanukkah candles in Jewish homes. Customs such as the decorated Hanukkah bush and gifts every day for eight days have grown up with it. 

Everyone loves a party. Our observance and dating of Christmas has itself pagan origin with trees in northern Europe and the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia, winter festivals co-opted by the Church because nobody is willing to give up a joyful (raucous?) holiday; so converted to religious feast, dedicated to the birth of Jesus, which was not observed early in the Church. In the Christian Church, the celebration was the Epiphany, Magi and Baptism of Christ. But with the third century stories of the wealthy Nicholas of Patera, later Bishop of Myra, using his wealth to help poor people, gift giving has come to be attributed to the Magi, and a great season of winter festival has grown up. Greatly, some would say shamefully, commercialized -- but nevertheless, still and always my favorite season. 

Happy Hanukkah!  

T+