How do you wish someone a happy Hanukkah in Hebrew?
Jewish people across the world are gearing up to celebrate the festival of Hanukkah, an eight-day holiday including such traditions as lighting candles, eating doughnuts and throwing parties.
The holiday, also known as the Jewish Festival of Lights, celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees revolted against the Seleucid Empire.
As with all the Jewish holidays, there are several ways you can send festival greetings to your friends or colleagues who celebrate.
But just what is the traditional way of wishing someone a happy Hanukkah? Here’s what you need to know…
How do you wish someone a happy Hanukkah in Hebrew?
A simple ‘Happy Hanukkah’ in your native language would be greatly appreciated, but if you want to try Hebrew (the language used for Jewish prayer and study) then say ‘Hanukkah Sameach!’ which means ‘Happy Hanukkah!’.
There is also ‘Chag Sameach!’ which is a standard greeting used on all Jewish festivals, which simply means ‘happy holiday!’.
Alternatively, if you want to really impress your Jewish friends and colleagues, you could also say ‘Chag Urim Sameach!’, meaning ‘Happy Lights Festival!’.
When is Hanukkah 2022?
Hanukkah kicks off in the evening of Sunday December 18 and runs through until sundown on Monday December 26.
The day Hanukkah begins changes slightly every year – it usually falls around the middle of December.
Each year, Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of Kislev, which is the ninth month of the Jewish calendar. It ends on the second day of Tevet, which is the tenth month of the Jewish calendar.
The eight days is significant, as Judas Maccabeus found a jar of oil in the Second Temple of Jerusalem that only had enough to burn for one day. However, it miraculously burned for eight whole days.
This is reflected in the traditions of the festival, which include lighting candles for eight days on a special candelabra known as a Menorah, as well as eating foods fried in oil such as doughnuts or latkes (potato pancakes).
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