Jews all set for parties as Hanukkah begins

December 21st, 2011 - 8:54 pm ICT by Aishwarya Bhatt  

Madrid, Dec 21 (THAINDIAN NEWS) The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah began on Tuesday. The closeness of the holiday to the Christian festival of Christmas makes Hanukkah one of the most famous holidays on the Jewish calendar.

It is not one of the holiest holidays observed by the Jewish community around the world but they claim that they use the occasion to bring “light to a dark world.”

Rabbi Yaacov “Yankey” Orimland of Atlantic City told the Press of Atlantic City that, “A little light can take away a lot of darkness. Imagine a really dark room. Just strike a match and you’ll see all you need…When you light, little by little, you get a lot of light. We bring light not only to world but to individuals whose lives are also dark.”

The festival is observed for eight days and nights. The occasion is used to mark the rededication of the second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Jewish communities around the world observe the period.

Until the festival ends, series of activities will be performed to mark the event. Special prayers are conducted during the period in addition to the regular ones that the Jewish community carries out. Lights are turned on as a commemorative sign of the festival while many schools in Israel close during the period.

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