What do you light a menorah with

While it rarely seems to be celebrated on the same day, on the Hebrew calendar, Hanukkah always falls on the 25th day of the month of Kislev. The first day of Hanukkah can come as early as November or as late as the end of December, which means occasionally Hanukkah overlaps with Thanksgiving or Christmas. The last time we celebrated Thanksgivukkah was in Hanukkah and Christmas saw duel celebrations in and will converge again in Due to the difference in calendars, every year Jewish people around the world—and their gentile friends— are left Googling the start date for Hanukkah.

If you are confused, you can blame transliteration. Originally written in Hebrew, a character-based language, the variations arose when the word had to be written in English, an alphabet-based language. Lacking exact English equivalents to the Hebrew sounds led to the many spelling variations we see today: Hanukkah, Chanukah, Hanukah, Hannukah, Chanukkah. So when writing Happy Hanukkah, have no fear, pick your favorite.

But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. What does Hanukkah celebrate? The shammash candle is always the first one lit, and is used to light the others, starting with the left-most one. Think of it as lighting the candle representing the newest night first. Before lighting the candles but after placing them in the menorah , we recite three blessings.

Click here to download a printable PDF of the Hanukkah candle blessings. Praised are You, Our God, Ruler of the universe, Who made us holy through Your commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah lights.

Praised are You, Our God, Ruler of the universe, Who performed wondrous deeds for our ancestors in those ancient days at this season. What is the correct way to light the Hanukkah menorah? Answered by. Hanukkah Jewish Rituals and Symbols. Related Questions How do you spell Hanukkah? Does a menorah have to have a specific design? What is the story behind Hanukkah gelt? What greetings are appropriate on Hanukkah?