How do you spell Hanukkah? And what’s with all the jelly doughnuts? 8 things to know

Let’s just get this out of the way first: Hanukkah is not the Jewish Christmas. But it is a festive winter holiday.

While Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is considered a minor holiday in terms of religious significance, it carries an important message during a time of celebration. It also has food, music and gifts.

Sign us up: Where’s the celebration?

In South Florida, where the weather is mild at this time of year, Jewish organizations and synagogues organize outdoor candle-lighting events. Many Jews also celebrate the holiday around the table at home, especially with kids eager to play games, win chocolate coins and get presents.

Hanukkah is not a holiday to sit all day in synagogue and pray. It’s more of a holiday to eat potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts, listen to comedian Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah song, light candles each night. And give and get gifts. Lots of gifts. Usually heavy on socks, sweaters and underwear.

Hanukkah 2024 begins Wednesday night, Dec. 25, with the lighting of the first candle at sundown. The holiday runs until sundown Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025.

Want to know more about Hanukkah? Maybe you celebrate and don’t know the significance of latkes. Or maybe you’ve been invited to join Jewish friends or family and are curious to know what the festival is all about.

We have eight questions and answers for you, one for each day of the holiday.

1. Let’s eat!

Food and holidays go together. And with Hanukkah, you’ll be off your diet for eight days, and here’s why: fried foods, just like the county fair.

The main Hanukkah foods are latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (doughnuts).

The reason? Oil.

Oil is synonymous with the holiday’s miracle. And lots of it is used to fry up these favorites.

South Florida kosher markets sell pounds an pounds of latkes during the holiday. And the jelly-filled doughnuts sell like hotcakes, with thousands out the door each day.

If you see a recipe for healthier baked latkes ignore it. The whole point is to fry, fry fry.

2. How do you spell it and what does it mean?

The spelling of the holiday varies because it’s a Hebrew-to-English transliteration. So “Hanukkah,” a common spelling, can also be spelled “Chanukah” or some other way. There’s no right or wrong.

No matter how you spell it, the meaning is dedication.

Here’s a quick history lesson before you bite into that doughnut and let the jelly run down your chin.

The holiday is the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after Jews were banned from practicing their faith there more than 2,000 years ago.

“This is a holiday where we fought to practice our own religion,” said Temple Sinai of North Dade Rabbi Alan Litwak.

In the Second Century, the Maccabees, the Jewish rebel army, revolted against the Syrian-Greek Empire and reclaimed the temple.

And the reason Jews celebrate for eight days and eight nights?

The oil to light the temple’s menorah was supposed to last only one day — but it lasted eight. Think of it as your cellphone battery at 1% and lasting that long.

3. Play that music

There’s more to the playlist these days than that old childhood standby: “I have a little dreidel. I made it out of clay.” Search for Hanukkah music on YouTube and you’ll see what we mean. Hanukkah songs now cross into just about every musical genre.

Check out the Maccabeats to get into the spirit. And a song by actor and former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Adam Sandler has become a comedic classic.

Temple Beth Sholom Cantor Lisa Segal has said her Miami Beach synagogue does a Hanukkah sing-along for “Shabanukah” service, which is held on the Friday, Shabbat, during the holiday stretch. The service ends with Peter, Paul and Mary’s “Light Every Candle.”

Don’t let the light go out!

It’s lasted for so many years!

4. What’s with all these gifts?

Eight gifts. One for each night. Socks. Underwear. Chocolate. Games. We like this!

Not all the gifts have to be big. Parents tend to give kids one or two big gifts, with smaller ones in between.

The idea of exchanging gifts each night of Hanukkah is more of a modern take on the holiday.

But people have found ways to use the holiday for Tikun Olam. That means “repairing the world” — giving back to make the world a better place. So this is a time when people open up their hearts and wallets to charity.

5. Why does Hanukkah fall on a different day each year?

Like all other Jewish holidays, Hanukkah rarely begins on the same night every year. Because of the lunar calendar — based on the cycles of the moon — Hanukkah can be as early as Thanksgiving (which it was in 2013) or even fall into the new year.

In 2013, Hanukkah began on the night before Thanksgiving. We called it Thanksgivukkah. This was the first time since 1888 that the two holidays coincided. It’s not expected to happen again for 70,000 years.

In 2023, the holiday ran in the same month as Nochebuena, Christmas and Kwanzaa.

In 2024, the first night of Hanukkah falls on Christmas Day.

6. How do you light a menorah? And what is a menorah anyway?

A Hanukkah menorah is a nine-branched candelabrum used to celebrate the Festival of Lights.

The shamash — or the “attendant” candle — is used to light the other candles in the menorah.

On the first night, a candle is placed in the far right opening. The shamash is lit and then the flame is passed to the candle. For every night, a new candle is lit first.

7. What are the other symbols of the holiday?

I have a little Dreidel, I made it out of clay. That’s the traditional ear-worm song for the holiday.

But dreidels — four-sided spinning tops used to play a game — can be made with plastic, wood, even silver.

Dreidels come in all sizes and are even art pieces. Some can be as cheap as 20 cents and others can cost more than $100.

The smaller plastic ones are often used for the dreidel game, in which each side of the spinning top has a letter that stands for either take nothing, take half, add one, or take all.

And a big part of the game: gelt, or coins, often made out of chocolate. It’s almost time to eat our winnings.

8. Where can I go to celebrate?

Celebrating at home is a fine idea. But getting out is fun, too.

Some South Florida synagogues have special services and events. And several Jewish organizations throw big Hanukkah bashes around town. Menorah lightings are held throughout the region. Seeing a giant menorah in public places is common.

“It’s about passing the traditions on to the children,” Litwak said. While many families have small menorahs in their homes, the idea is to share the miracle with others.