Martha Colmenares

A mis amigos y familiares, Feliz Jánuca, día de la Festividad de las Luces. Hanuka en hebreo significa consagración y es una festividad anual que los judíos celebran durante 8 días consecutivos. Comienza el 25 de Kislev, el tercer mes del calendario judío, hasta el 2 de Tevet. Estas fechas coinciden, más o menos, con el mes de diciembre del calendario gregoriano. Como quiera que es un calendario lunar, su fecha varía de unos años a otros.

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Hanukkah starts on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev, and lasts for eight days.
Here are the coinciding secular dates for the upcoming years:

2012: December 8-16

2013: November 27-December 5

2014: December 16-24

2015: December 6-14

“La Festividad de Hanuka, palabra hebrea que en castellano sonaría como Janucá, conmemora la victoria de los antiguos judíos contra los Sirios Griegos – el Imperio Helénico Seléucida – en el año 165. A.C (Sería bueno que el presidente iraní tome nota de esto ya que se empeña en borrar del mapa no solo al actual Estado de Israel sino a la vinculación histórica del pueblo judío con el reino de Judea en donde ocurrió este episodio, entre otros, unos cinco siglos antes de que sus antecesores persas llegaran del Sur de Asía para conquistar a los asirios y crear el reino en donde hoy está Irán).”

Se planean festejos de Janucá en todo el mundo
Se encenderán menorás en conmemoración de la festividad judía Janucá cerca de la Torre Eiffel en París, la Puerta de Branderbur en Berlín, el Ellipse de Washginton DC y muchas otras ciudades de todo el mundo.

En Londres se encenderá una menorá el 10 de diciembre a las 18hs en la Plaza Trafalgar. En París esto está planeado para el 9 de diciembre a las 20hs e incluirá un concierto con cinco músicos judíos en vivo y una conexión por video en vivo con los encendidos de Nueva York y Jerusalem en el Muro de los Lamentos. En Berlín la ceremonia se llevará a cabo el 9 de diciembre a las 18.30hs.

En Nueva York se espera un evento de “Janucá sobre hielo” para el 10 de diciembre desde las 18 a las 21hs, con un concierto y una fiesta de patinaje en la pista del Central Park justo al norte de la entrada de la Calle 59. En la Calle 42 y la Quinta Avenida habrá una menorá gigante tallada en hielo, la cual se encenderá el 11 de diciembre a las 18hs.

En Washington se espera que el encendido nacional de la menorá sea a las 16hs el 9 de diciembre en el Ellipse, cerca de la Casa Blanca, con el show de US Navy Band y un grupo llamado The Three Cantors.

En Miami, el Miami Heat tendrá una noche de herencia judía en el juego de básquetbol del 12 de diciembre en la Arena American Airlines. Se encenderá una menorá en el entretiempo y habrá una fiesta de Janucá en la cancha después del partido.

También habrá otros eventos, todos financiados por la organización Jabad Lubavitch en todo el mundo, desde universidades americanas a grandes y pequeños centros de ciudades en Asia, África y Latinoamérica.

Los eventos son abiertos a todos, orientados a las familias y en su mayoría gratis. Muchos de los encendidos incluyen música y actividades para niños.
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Hanukkah (sometimes transliterated Chanukkah) is a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days and nights.

It starts on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, which coincides with late November-late December on the secular calendar.

In Hebrew, the word “hanukkah” means “dedication.” The name reminds us that this holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C.E.

You might also like: Celebrating Hanukkah with Children

The Hanukkah Story

In 168 B.C.E. the Jewish Temple was seized by Syrian-Greek soldiers and dedicated to the worship of the god Zeus. This upset the Jewish people, but many were afraid to fight back for fear of reprisals. Then in 167 B.C.E. the Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus made the observance of Judaism an offense punishable by death. He also ordered all Jews to worship Greek gods.
Jewish resistance began in the village of Modiin, near Jerusalem. Greek soldiers forcibly gathered the Jewish villages and told them to bow down to an idol, then eat the flesh of a pig – both practices that are forbidden to Jews. A Greek officer ordered Mattathias, a High Priest, to acquiesce to their demands, but Mattathias refused. When another villager stepped forward and offered to cooperate on Mattathias’ behalf, the High Priest became outraged. He drew his sword and killed the villager, then turned on the Greek officer and killed him too. His five sons and the other villagers then attacked the remaining soldiers, killing all of them.

Mattathias and his family went into hiding in the mountains, where other Jews wishing to fight against the Greeks joined them. Eventually they succeeded in retaking their land from the Greeks. These rebels became known as the Maccabees, or Hasmoneans.

Once the Maccabees had regained control they returned to the Temple in Jerusalem. By this time it had been spiritually defiled by being used for the worship of foreign gods and also by practices such as sacrificing swine. Jewish troops were determined to purify the Temple by burning ritual oil in the Temple’s menorah for eight days. But to their dismay, they discovered that there was only one day’s worth of oil left in the Temple. They lit the menorah anyway and to their surprise the small amount of oil lasted the full eight days.

This is the miracle of the Hanukkah oil that is celebrated every year when Jews light a special menorah known as a hanukkiyah for eight days. One candle is lit on the first night of Hanukkah, two on the second, and so on, until eight candles are lit. You can learn more about the hanukkiyah in the article: What Is a Hanukkiyah?

Significance of Hanukkah

According to Jewish law, Hanukkah is one of the less important Jewish holidays. However, Hanukkah has become much more popular in modern practice because of its proximity to Christmas.

Hanukkah falls on the twenty-fifth day of the Jewish month of Kislev. Since the Jewish calendar is lunar based, every year the first day of Hanukkah falls on a different day – usually sometime between late November and late December. Because many Jews live in predominately Christian societies, over time Hanukkah has become much more festive and Christmas-like. Jewish children receive gifts for Hanukkah – often one gift for each of the eight nights of the holiday. Many parents hope that by making Hanukkah extra special their children won’t feel left out of all the Christmas festivities going on around them.

Hanukkah Traditions

Every community has its unique Hanukkah traditions, but there are some traditions that are almost universally practiced. They are: lighting the hanukkiyah, spinning the dreidel and eating fried foods.

Lighting the hanukkiyah: Every year it is customary to commemorate the miracle of the Hanukkah oil by lighting candles on a hanukkiyah. The hanukkiyah is lit every night for eight nights. Learn more about the hanukkiyah in: What Is a Hanukkiyah? | How to Light the Hanukkah Menorah | Hanukkah Candle Lighting Blessings.
Spinning the dreidel: A popular Hanukkah game is spinning the dreidel, which is a four-sided top with Hebrew letters written on each side. Read The Hanukkah Dreidel to learn more about the dreidel, the meaning of the letters and how to play the game. Gelt, which are chocolate coins covered with tin foil, are part of this game.
Eating fried foods: Because Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of oil, it is traditional to eat fried foods such as latkes and sufganiyot during the holiday. Latkes are pancakes made out of potatoes and onions, which are fried in oil and then served with applesauce. Sufganiyot (singular: sufganiyah) are jelly-filled donuts that are fried and sometimes dusted with confectioners’ sugar before eating. Learn more about Hanukkah food traditions: Hanukkah Food Traditions | What Is a Latke?
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