There are two main reasons for the unlimited joy of Jews on the occasion. One of them is religious and another is political. As far as the religious reason goes, there was a clash between Judaism and Hellenistic civilization. Earlier, Jewish traditions and customs were outlawed by the Greeks. But, this occasion marks triumph of Menorah. Not just it was a spiritual take over, but Jewish armies defeated the army of Antiochus IV, the same leader who put a ban on following the Jewish ideologies. The Hanukkah history dates back to around 200 BC.
Coming back to the celebrations of the festival, we find that the magic of Jewish holidays continue for eight consecutive days. Hanukkah rituals basically constitute of the kindling of light and then having a family get together. They have a belief that religious occasions should not hamper work and thus, no schools and offices are closed during the festive season. In spite of that the enthusiasm does not fade away.
The first and the foremost important custom is that of performing the blessing over the candle tradition. This is done by lighting Sabbath candles. The number of Sabbath candles increase by each day of the celebration. In all, eight blessings are taken and there are eight different prayers to be uttered for each special day. After lighting of Menorah, comes the turn of Hanerot halalu, yet another prayer ritual. Also, the game of Driedel is customary to be played during the festival. Delicious Hanukkah food like chocolates, candies etc are at stake and the winner in the end gets the share of the rest of the players as well.
While the heavenly sight of the the kindling lights, the soothing music of Israeli Hanukkah songs and aroma of mashed potatoes fill the aura around the occasion of Hannukah. One of the most important festivals of Jews residing at different parts of the world, Hanukkah is the testimony of rich Jewish culture.
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