In my family, A Rugrats Chanukah is an annual required viewing at the holiday. We had an orange VHS tape copy of the episode and watched it on the first night of Hanukkah (more to come on the spelling) every year, reminding ourselves of the story of the Maccabees (or in Rugrats terms, the Maccababies). A writer for the Jewish culture site Hey Alma fact-checked A Rugrats Chanukah and praised the animated TV show for its representation, saying, “I actually learned a lot on this rewatch.”
You’ll likely see the word “Hanukkah” written a few different ways. Because it’s transliterated from the Hebrew alphabet, it can be spelled as “Hanukkah,” “Chanukah,” “Chanukkah,” or “Hanukah.” The most common is “Hanukkah.” The “ch” or “h” at the beginning stand in for the letter “ח” (chet) in Hebrew, and should be pronounced with a more guttural push from the back of your tongue. If you’re curious, Angelica demonstrates the correct way to enunciate the beginning of the word in the Rugrats special.
“Hanukkah” means “rededication” in Hebrew. There’s a rich history behind the holiday, but in brief, after a revolt against the Syrian Greeks in 164 BCE, the Maccabees (a group of Jewish rebel warriors) recaptured the Temple in Jerusalem and needed to cleanse it after it had been a pagan shrine. The light in the temple needed to remain lit, but the Maccabees had enough oil for only one night, and it would take eight days to make more. Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of the oil lasting for eight nights until more oil could be prepared.
If you’re attending a Hanukkah party, lighting the menorah will be a part of the festivities. A menorah looks like a candelabrum with nine candle holders, to be lit nightly at sundown throughout Hanukkah. Some also call a Hanukkah menorah a hanukkiyah. A menorah is any lamp in Hebrew, but a hanukkiyah is specifically a menorah used at Hanukkah. The shamash candle is the helper candle. It sits in the raised center spot of the menorah and is lit first. Then, the shamash is used to light the rest of the eight candles in order from left to right, corresponding to each night of Hanukkah. During candle lighting, we say prayers in Hebrew. The host may have them printed for guests to read along in Hebrew and in English.
Though most people now light candles with matches or use electric lights, oil is a key component of the holiday. If you’ve attended a Hanukkah celebration, you’ve likely been served latkes. These are shredded potatoes, formed into small pancakes with egg and flour and fried in oil. Talented bakers may also make sufganiyot, which are doughnuts fried in oil and filled with jelly. The oil used in cooking recalls the miracle.
Hanukkah, sometimes called the Festival of Lights, is usually a relaxed, joyful affair. This becomes more obvious when we pull out the dreidel, a four-sided spinning top game. We play for the pot of golden chocolate coins (gelt). The four Hebrew letters that adorn the dreidel determine what to do to the pot of gelt:
- נ (nun): Do nothing
- ג (gimel): Take the whole pot
- ה (hei): Take half the pieces in the pot
- ש (shin): Add a piece of gelt to the pot
If you’re invited to a Hanukkah party, it’s going to be a fun time centered around food, games, and singing. You’ll get the measure of things in no time — just ask your host what to bring, and if they keep their kitchen kosher, ask for some guidance on that. And if you can find it, watch A Rugrats Chanukah to get your history lesson.
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