If you are looking for my Thursday Tree Love post, you'll find it HERE.
But I hope you'll also stay for this post.
The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah starts tonight at sundown. This is a Jewish festival of celebration - a celebration of the 165 B.C.E. (what Christians call "B.C.") victory of the Maccabee rebels against the Seleucid (Greek Syrian) Empire, who had tried to force the Jews to adopt their religious practices. The Temple of the Jewish people was desecrated during the Seleucid reign.
Now, freedom won, the Temple was to be rededicated, and its hanukiah (seven branched candelabrum) lit, but there was only one day's worth of untainted olive oil available to fuel it. By a miracle, it remained lit for the eight days it took to get more oil, or so the story goes.
What we call a menorah could be a hanukiah, but more commonly has nine branches, one for each of the eight days of Hanukkah and one "servant" candle, raised higher than the other eight, used to light one candle on the first night of Hanukkah, and one more candle on each successful day.
Binghamton, New York, where I worked until I was sent home to work due to the pandemic, has a Hanukkah House museum inside its Temple Concord. I haven't found any evidence that the museum will be open this Hanukkah, so I wanted to show you some menorahs they display from previous years.
Menorahs can be of all sizes and shapes.
Some are designed for children.
Some have words.
Beautiful ceramic menorah.
The front menorah is a religious type design. The one in back is using beeswax candles. Menorahs can use candles, oil, or even electricity (electricity only for display) here in modern times.
In the coming days, I will have a couple of more posts with pictures from my years of visiting Hanukkah House.
May the lights of Hanukkah illuminate our nights, for all peoples on Earth, during these times of the pandemic.
Actually, historians have recognized that most of the world neither believes nor follows Jesus- so long ago, they changed the nomenclature to BCE- before the common era.
ReplyDelete(And electric menorahs may ONLY be used for show- the blessing and commandment requires a FIRE to be involved.)
Chag Chanuka sameach! (Happy Chanuka to you.)
The same to you, and I've made the correction about electric menorahs in my post. I am going to keep my comment about BCE, and I am happy to know that historians in our culture are finally realizing that the world includes many non-Christians. Thank you.
Delete...it seems like all of the world's religions have a festival of light.
ReplyDeleteThat is true - Diwali, for one (celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs), I suspect, will gain increased traction in our country in the coming years.
DeleteChag Chanukah Sameach.
ReplyDeleteHappy Hanukkah. I love the display of menorahs.
Thank you. I have more pictures on my phone. I'm going to miss visiting the museum this year.
DeleteHave a wonderful Hanukkah. As for BC and BCE etc, some Christian religions are using BCE now, as the comment above mentioned, "before the common era" and CE (common era) instead of AD. Still rather "Christian-centric!"
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment. As someone who majored in cultural anthropology, in addition to being a member of a religious minority in the U.S., this indeed makes me happy.
DeleteMay your Hanukkah be joyous, peaceful, and filled with light and may that light spread through all the world that sorely needs it at this time.
ReplyDeleteHappy Hanukkah.
ReplyDeleteHappy Hanukkah. Those are some great Menorahs.
ReplyDeleteSo very beautiful. Happy Hanukkah. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHappy Hanukkah!
ReplyDelete