Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrated by few at FHN, but it’s still an important part of who FHN students are and what they value.
“It’s based on a story where the oil was supposed to only burn for one day but it burned for eight days instead,” sophomore Aaron Shack said.
In order to decide when Hanukkah begins, Hanukkah celebrators follow a Jewish calendar called the Jewish Lunisolar Calendar. The calendar fluctuates and does not contain the same amount of days every year, so in order to decide when Hanukkah will begin, the 25th day of the ninth month on the calendar begins the 8-day celebration. This year the holiday will begin on the night of Dec. 14 and end on the night of Dec. 22.
“Basically, you get one gift a day for the eight days,” sophomore Ismael Estrad said. “Usually, the first day is a small gift and it builds up to the eight day, being a large gift.”
Like any other holiday, different families will celebrate Hanukkah a different way. Oftentimes families will have themes following their nights, or will choose to not receive a gift every day.
“Every family celebrates in a different way,” senior Carson Howard said. “On my dad’s side I only celebrate 3 to 4 days of Hanukkah, so last year, some of the gifts I got were a polo shirt and golf balls.”
FHN students have all sorts of differences that set them apart, one of those being the holidays they celebrate. Even through the differences, Knights stay united, and can all still appreciate the value of the holiday season.
“Hanukkah is basically like Christmas with a different origin, but it’s really about the same thing of giving and receiving presents and being with family,” Shack said.
