Obligatory "Holy"day Post - 5th candle

[eumelia]

It being the Season, I've begun knitting again - also there may be a Stich n'Bitch group starting up at some point in the near future *crosses fingers*, so I thought I'd get a head start.
That and knitting always makes me feel cosey and my house being the draft machine it is, it seemed like the best thing to do when the Internet was boring, I'd finished my book and all I wanted to do was clear my head before the guests for the Hannukah get-together this late afternoon would be arriving.

I think I'm going to be skipping breakfast for the next few days to get rid of all the oil I consumed this week, Sufganiot (fluffy traditional deep-fried dough-nuts), Levivot (crunchy traditional deep-fried potato latkas) and Cream-bo (a traditional Israeli chocolate covered marshmallow biscuit winter treat).

Yeah, Hannukah, like the majority of my "Holy"days are all about the Food... and remembering stuff:
Hannukah itself isn't about "They tried to kill us, they failed, let's eat", like almost all the other Jewish holidays.
It's really an alternate date for Sukkot, which at the time the Jews couldn't celebrate because the Temple wasn't under Jewish rule, but under Hellenic rule - Greek.
Hannukah is all about the Jews under Greek rule in the land of Israel and how we defeated the Greek who had the audacity *gasp* to be all imperial on the Jews.
The Jews rebelled, called the Hellenized Jews Heretics, had a miracle in the Temple - to do with purifying it with too little oil and the need to light the Holy Menora (another Israeli Symbol, beyond the Magen David), hence all the deep fried food - and the Jews celebrated a belated Sukkot (which became canonised in the holiday calendar)... after punishing the heretical Jews and kicking Grecian Ass of course :)

Yay for military might!
Yay for burning light!
Hooray for deep fried food!
Down with imperialist Hellenization!

Though strictly speaking, I see myself being a Hellenized Jewess. I mean all that beautiful culture mingling with mine! Who could resist?
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Oh, right.

Candles, fried-food and chocolate money! Woot!

Happy Hannukah all of you and a Happy Winter Season to everyone!

Comments

[ephraim-oakes.livejournal.com]

change "military might" to "radical guerilla warfare", and i'm totally down with the program. (even if it was actually kind of right-wing reactionary guerilla warfare in the historical account)
and what's not to like about fried stuff in the middle of winter when you need that extra layer to keep warm....

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I put "military might" on purpose, because it was fundamentalism and all, with which I ain't down :)

Mmmmm, fried food... *drool*