Just like in the case of other holidays there are several traditions which are an emblem of Hanukkah. Thus, the most important traditions on Hanukkah are the following: the lighting of the menorah, singing songs on topics related to the holiday, eating fried food, spinning the dreidel in various games and handing out gelt (golden coins). All these might seem common activities to the non-Jewish, but they are, in fact, traditional activities on Hanukkah, often uniting the family in the celebration of the Festival of Lights as Hanukkah is also known.

The lighting of the menorah is the most representative tradition on Hanukkah, commemorating thus the lighting of the Temple menorah after the removal of the Syrian-Greek from the Holy Land. At the time, there was little pure oil left in the Temple for burning on the menorah, so the Jews believed that it would only last for a day. Anyway, the menorah was still lit and miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days. Nowadays, it is customary for families on Hanukkah to light a nine branch menorah called a “Hanukkiah”. In the middle of this special menorah there one branch placed either higher or lower than the rest of the branches. This branch shall be lit and used in the lighting of the other branches, one each day, until all eight are lit together on the eighth day of Hanukkah. While lighting the menorah families recite prayers or sing songs related to the occasion.

The lighting of the menorah candles has to follow a certain pattern. The first candle to be lit should be placed on the right side of the menorah. On the second night, the next candle to be lit shall be placed on the immediate left of the previously lit candle, and this pattern is kept until all candles are lit. This is useful as when the kindling begins, it will begin with the newest light. All eight candles of the menorah are sacred, so they should not be used for lighting any other candles or for domestic use. This is the role of the ninth candle – called “shamash”, situated in the middle and used for the lighting of the others.

In recent years, in some families, every member of the household - parents, grandparents, children included light his/her Hanukkah menorah. Any member of the family can recite the blessings, or they can be recited together by the entire family. It is a custom for one person to get the light on the shamash, then have the blessings recited and then begin the lighting of the menorah. On every night of Hanukkah there are two blessings which are usually recited or chanted. The first represents a blessing of the candles themselves, while the second one is an expression of gratitude for the miracle that the deliverance was. There is also a third blessing, recited only on the first night of Hanukkah. This prayer is called “Shehecheyanu” and is used as a reminder of all the moments of joy of one’s life.

Also, the eight days of Hanukkah would be used for spending more time with the family

But Hanukkah is not just celebrated at home. The miracle of the oil lasting for eight days is also celebrated together with everyone else. As a result people usually place the lit menorah in a window or anywhere it might be visible to the passer-by. In Israeli cities and towns there is often a public ceremony of lighting huge menorahs in the center of the city.

While Christmas has a never-ending repertoire of carols, Hanukkah is rather poor in specific songs. There are however, several songs for the occasion. One song – “Maoz Tzur” refers to the glory of the Temple of Jerusalem and is sung each year after the lighting of the menorah candles. Others refer to the dreidel in their words: “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel/I made it out of clay/And when it’s dry and ready/ Dreidel I shall play” – “I have a little dreidel”, a popular children song.Other popular songs include “Sivivon, sov, sov, sov”, which is a folksong, “Light One Candle” and “The Latke Song”, which was written by the famous singer and songwriter Debbie Friedman.

The eating of fried food is in celebration of the miraculously lasting oil of the Temple menorah. It is common for Jews to eat oily foods on these days, such as “latkes” (potato pancakes) and “sufganyot” (jelly-filled doughnuts), to name but a few.

Spinning the dreidel (a spinning top in fact) is another tradition on Hanukkah. It is customary that people would sometimes use it in games, waging bets on which side would land face up. The dreidel was used during the Syrian-Greek occupation when the observance of Judaism was forbidden. People would inscribe passages of the Torah on these dreidels and use them in their study sessions, so that the soldiers supervising them would think that they were just playing games. Nowadays, dreidels are actually used in games, but there are still remnants of its past significance, as its sides comprise the first letters of the saying “Ness Gadol Haya Po/Sham” meaning “Great Miracle Happened here/there” (the here/there reference is to be interpreted whether one is in Israel or abroad).

Another tradition common on Hanukkah is that of offering gelt (golden coins). This tradition dates back to 12^th-13^th century Poland and is symbolic of the independence the Jews enjoyed after the Maccabean revolt. After that moment, Jewish kings ruled over the Holy Land so the Jews were free to do whatever they wanted with their money. As a reminder of that time, people exchange real money or chocolate money (chocolate coins) on Hanukkah.

As far as the religious traditions of the Hanukkah service are concerned, these include the “al hanissim” (meaning for the miracles) a passage recited from the Amidah, the central prayer of the occasion and the “Birkat HaMazon”, a blessing usually recited after each meal.

The passages of the Torah read on each day of Hanukkah are from Numbers 6:22 – 8:4 and they refer to the dedication of the mishkan, which is a temporary place of worship used by the Israelites in their desert wandering. Additional readings are the Haftarah, which are from the Prophetic Books of Zechariah (4:1-7) and I Kings (7:40-50).