Hanukkah Traditions - lights, prayers, songs - by The Wicked Twins

Hanukkah Traditions

Candles Prayers Songs Smells

Sights of Hanukkah

Lights of Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a happy festival, and nothing is more cheerful than the sight of the candles burning in the Hanukkiah (Hanukkah candelabra). The whole family gathers each evening to watch the additional candle added. The candles are lit while the special prayers are said.

Why are there nine candles when we say one candle is added for each of the eight nights, you may ask. The ninth candle is called the Shamash (servant or helper) candle. It is always lit first and used to light the other candles. The Shamash is always higher in the Hanukkiah than the others.

The first candle is placed on the far right, and each night another candle is added right to left. The Shamash is used to light the candles from left to right so that the new candle is always lit first. On the last night of Hanukkah, the candles are lit from the far left to the far right.

Each night the light increases as our joy in the holiday increases.

Sounds of Hanukkah

The first sounds of the festival are the prayers (brachot) that accompany the lighting of the candles. The first two are recited each night, the third is recited only on the first night. If you would like to hear the prayers in Real Audio, click here.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and has commanded us to Kindle the Hanukkah light.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, Who has wrought miracles for our forefathers, in those days at this season.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.

Songs of Hanukkah

It's fun to sing while watching the Hanukkah candles. Among the many popular songs for the festival are the following:

O Hanukkah

To listen to MIDI, click here.

O Hanukkah, O Hanukkah, a time to remember,
A jolly, jolly holiday that comes in December.
Every night for eight days dreidel to spin,
Crispy little latkas, tasty and thin.
And nightly, so brightly,
The candles of Hanukkah glow.
Shining with glory, telling the story,
The wonders of long, long ago.

Mi Yimalel - Who Can Retell?

To listen to MIDI, click here.

Who can retell the things that befell us,
Who can count them?
In every age a hero or sage
Came to our aid.
Hark, In days of old, in Israel’s ancient land,
Brave Maccabee led his faithful band.
And now all Israel must as one rise,
Redeem itself through deed and sacrifice.

My Dreidel

To listen to MIDI, click here.

I have a little dreidel,
I made it out of clay;
And when it's dry and ready,
Then dreidel I shall play.
O dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,
I made it out of clay;
O dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,
Now dreidel I shall play.
(2)
It has a lovely body
With legs so short and thin;
And when it is all tired
It drops and then I win.
O dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,
With legs so short and thin;
O dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,
It drops and then I win.
(3)
My dreidel is always playful
It loves to dance and spin;
A happy game of dreidel
Come play, now let's begin.
O dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,
It loves to dance and spin;
O dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,
Come play, now let's begin.

Smells of Hanukkah
Too bad that we don't have any HTML code to make the wonderful smells of Hanukkah. Many of them come from preparation of the delicious foods associated with the festival.
Recipes and games information are on the next page.

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Credits:
Hanukkah prayers from torah.org. Hanukkah MIDIs from
The Israeli-Jewish-Yiddish-Hebrew-Folk-Cultural Music Midi Free Library.
Backgrounds from Bitsy's Boutique.
Other graphics from The Mousepad.