I’m not Jewish, so my knowledge of Hanukkah and its traditions is secondhand. But here are a few noteworthy points as I understand:
- The roots of Hanukkah date back to a time when conquerors controlled Jerusalem. (Okay, I know that doesn’t help a lot–but who can keep up ‘em all straight?)
- During that time, the conquerors used the Temple to worship their own gods and forbade Jews to practice their religion. However, under the guise of ’gambling’, the Jews were still able to gather in small groups to study.
- The conquerors were ultimately expelled by a group of Jews who came to be known as the Maccabees.
- The purification ritual to restore and rededicate the defiled Temple required its menorah to burn for eight days; the Maccabees only found a day’s worth of consecrated oil.
- Miraculously, the oil from that one vial kept the Temple’s menorah lit for the full eight days.
Dreidels put a special spin on the Hanukkah dinner table.
Hanukkah may not be considered a major holiday like Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashana or Passover, but it is still a time for families to gather and celebrate their faith and traditions.
So if my family were celebrating Hanukkah, I’d want to set a festive table for our dinners.
What I came up with was this ensemble: a place card, a napkin tie and a matchbox favor, all featuring a punch art dreidel (tutorial) and gelt coin.
(Click on the image for a separate view of the project. Then click again for a close up.)
Now, one could say that the miracle is in the menorah, so it should be the motif chosen for the table decor.
However, here’s my thinking:
Each celebrating home will have its own special menorah (or Hanukkiyah) to mark the occasion, and its lighting will be the centerpiece in the commemoration of the miracle.
But you don’t get to the miracle if you don’t persevere through adversity and preserve your faith. A simple spinning dreidel and few shiny coins are reminders of how the Maccabees did just that.
And that’s a lesson we can all learn from, even today.
[Note to my Jewish friends: I hope you like these ideas. . . I certainly enjoyed creating this for you all!]
Thanks for the history lesson! I love your projects too.
Oh my gosh, Holly, these are fantastic!!!! I love how you made the dreidels! They are so clever! What a wonderful, talented, and creative friend you are!
Clever, clever Holly!!! And you didn’t let the dog eat them, either!
That’s awesome! I love that you created projects for a religion other than your own. Isn’t it fun to learn about different cultures? Thanks for sharing!!
These are great Hannakuh projects.
Love the punch art dreidels! Hmm . . .. I wonder if I have any neighbors celebrating Hanukkah?
Adding this to my stash of knowledge!! Just perfect little dreidels!
Wow, these are gorgeous! I love all the details, and the colors you chose are perfect. The sponging around the edges with shimmer paint really make these stand out.
I love the dreidel idea! Thanks for the lesson, too!
Really lovely – so very special for your celebration.
Very clever as you always are!! Love that you include some history to your post … all of which I did not know.
Cute projects, Holly! And thanks for the history lesson. You never know when you’ll learn something new!