Hanukkah

May love and light fill your heart this joyous season.

What exactly is Hanukkah, I have always known of this celebration but not the actual meaning behind Hanukkah. I watch a film recently and they celebrated Hanukkah, it seemed a very family occasion, something like our Christmas. The story behind lighting the candles starts with the Jews wanting to rededicate the Second Temple in Jerusalem after a revolt by the Jews against the Seleucid Empire. It is also known as the Festival of Lights. 

The centrepiece is a candelabra that holds nine candles. Hanukkah is over 8 days and they light the nine candles, 8 for the number of days and the ninth is a helper candle used to light the other candles. You light the candles as a celebration of the holidays and this is the interesting part. When they wanted to rededicate the temple there was only enough oil to burn for one night but it burned for 8 nights. Thus the festival of light came about.

They give the children Hanukkah gelt, small coins or chocolate wrapped on silver paper, adding to the holiday excitement and I suppose to keep them occupied while the adults sing, eat and pray. Hanukkah this year is from the 10th to the 18th of December.

We kindle these lights for the miracles and the wonders, for the redemption and the battles that you made for our forefathers.

Robert is starting to feel a little better, Coronavirus for him has been a nasty bout of flu, headache, temperature and no energy. A tricky thing this virus, Robert had no classic symptoms, just felt rotten and his eyes were sore. He heard about someone at Uni had come down with the virus and had himself tested, turned out to be Covid 19. Talking of ailments, I have had a stiff neck for the last 5 days and am hoping it is just a stiff neck and not the onset of this virus. Susan seems well, although she has been stripping wallpaper off the hallway and stairway for the last two days, we hope she gets over it soon. Nasty stuff that wallpaper.

There are two ways to live your life

One is as though nothing is a miracle 

The other is as though everything is

Well, to end, I must say the autumnal weather is turning to winter and the trees are losing their leave as part of their defence against the winter cold. Stay safe and well and I am sure I will be blogging shortly as this isolation deepens and boredom sets in.