Let there be light

It is not at all a bad idea for Jews to celebrate Hanukkah, also known as the Festive of Lights, this time of the year. Fine, it wasn't really tailor-made for the Finnish latitudes - but most definitely would brighten things up around here, too.

When thinking of Hanukkah, you know, in my life BB (= Before Boyfriend), it is again kind of funny how many things Jewish I used to know were thanks to American TV shows. I vividly remember an episode of OC where the Cohens celebrate Christmukkah, or how Ross on Friends explained to his son Ben about the Maccabees while wearing his infamous holiday armadillo costume. Is this - seriously - where I (and probably some others too) base their knowledge on? Dangerous..!

Well, anyway, Ross was right. It is about the Maccabees beating the bully-Greeks and regaining control of the Temple. The Temple had been defiled by foreign malpractice and the Maccabees decided to purify it by burning oil in the Temple's menorah for eight days. But to their disappointment, there was enough oil left only for one day. What do you do in this kind of situations? Well, all you need is a miracle, and so, the light burned for the necessary eight days after all.

Hanukkah isn't (apparently) religiously so important in Judaism but has become a popular past-time anyway. The way I have got acquainted to it is actually by the dreidel, meeting the Finnish hillomunkki's Jewish relative sufganiyah and now more recently tasting some delicious home-made latkes (potato pancakes). Coincidentally enough fried in what else than oil - there's plenty of that going around this time of year!

Latkes, lamb and some Israeli wine. Yum!

And pssst, a very observant pair of eyes spotted a hanukkiyah in my neighborhood...