On the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, corresponding this yr to the night of Sunday, December 18, Jews around the globe will start the 8-day celebration of Hanukkah, generally known as the competition of lights. Hanukkah, or Chanukah, commemorates the Jewish victory in 165 B.C. over the Syrian-Greek oppression led by King Antiochus IV.
Beneath his reign, the Temple in Jerusalem was transformed right into a pagan shrine and the Jews had been prohibited from performing any of their conventional spiritual practices. When the Jews, led by Judah Maccabee and the Hasmonean household, regained management of the Temple, it was cleansed and rededicated. Just one small jug of oil for the Temple’s menorah (candelabrum) was situated. After the Excessive Priest rekindled the oil, he anticipated that it will final just one day. As a substitute, the flame remained for 8 days.
For hundreds of years, Jews have recalled this historic navy victory and the rededication of the Temple — together with the miracle of the oil lasting for 8 days — by celebrating Hanukkah, the Hebrew phrase for rededication. A hanukkiah, or menorah with 9 holders, is used for a household’s nightly custom of lighting candles. The ninth candle, known as the shamash, lights the opposite candles. On the primary evening, just one candle is lit with the shamash. On every successive evening, one other candle is added to the hanukkiah and lit.
Because the Hebrew calendar is configured otherwise than the Gregorian calendar, Hanukkah can begin as early because the very finish of November or as late as the previous couple of days of December. The brand new day on a Hebrew calendar all the time begins at sunset — so Jewish holidays and festivals begin at sunset.
The Bornstein household’s introduction to a Hanukkah aboard a cruise ship in December of 2004
Picture credit score: Crew Member of Movie star Cruises
Why We Began Celebrating Hanukkah Aboard A Cruise Ship
A long time in the past, we got here collectively as a household with our 4 sons to gentle candles and sing songs each evening and celebrated Hanukkah at the least one night with prolonged members of the family. We needed our sons to expertise this home-based vacation with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Presents had been exchanged by everybody.
They grew up consuming conventional meals like latkes (potato pancakes), sufganiyot (jelly donuts), selfmade Hanukkah cookies baked within the form of dreidels, menorahs, and six-pointed stars, and chocolate within the form of a coin coated in gold or silver foil. These semi-sweet and milk candies are known as gelt and recall the Japanese European Jewish custom of oldsters giving cash to their kids throughout the vacation. One other annual custom was enjoying a sport known as dreidel. More often than not, we used a diaspora dreidel with the Hebrew letters nun, gimmel, hay, and shin, standing for Hebrew phrases which means “a terrific miracle occurred there.”
Cantor George Henschel and his spouse, Ricki, reciting the blessings over wine and challah throughout Shabbat Hanukkah service aboard Movie star Apex in 2021.
Picture credit score: Sandy Bornstein
Have fun With People From Round The World
Household gatherings grew to become more difficult when our eldest sons went to varsity. To accommodate their conflicting schedules, we launched into our first Hanukkah cruise and fell in love with the idea of cruising throughout the competition. Our household gathered in our cabin to gentle our electrical hanukkiah and had the chance to hitch with Jews from around the globe for a brief Hanukkah program every evening. Nevertheless, on account of security laws, we had been unable to gentle precise candles.
The cooks created a wide range of latkes and sufganiyot that we ordered all through the cruise. The festive ambiance aboard the ship, together with the enjoyable instances in port, created memorable experiences.
Sandy and Ira Bornstein passing down the Hanukkah custom of lighting candles to their six grandchildren in Colorado
Picture credit score: Kayla Garthwaite
Why We Proceed To Have fun Hanukkah Aboard A Cruise Ship
One after the other, our youngsters grew to become engaged after which married their important different. A number of years later, grandchildren added a brand new dimension to our rising household. Early on, we launched the subsequent era to our household’s conventional songs, vacation meals, and ritual observances.
The Movie star Equinox in Cozumel, Mexico
Picture credit score: NAPA / Shutterstock.com
Escape The Chilly
For the final couple of years, we’ve got coordinated our journey plans so our rising household might be collectively for at the least someday throughout Hanukkah. Whereas our choice is to ski throughout the winter months, we normally keep away from the vacation crowds on the Colorado slopes till New 12 months’s Day.
Deciding whether or not to remain house or journey throughout winter break is a toss-up. Taking a cruise to a tropical local weather is all the time attractive, particularly once we are celebrating solely someday of Hanukkah with our youngsters and grandchildren.
Cruising and celebrating Hanukkah go hand in hand. On board the ship, we thrive in a festive atmosphere stuffed with theatrical performances, reside music, the chance to bounce, an abundance of actions, and wonderful meals decisions. At ports of name, our want to discover and take part in outside adventures is fulfilled. We even have high quality time enjoyable on our balcony or on outside decks.
Sufganiyot (jelly donuts) aboard the Movie star Apex
Picture credit score: Sandy Bornstein
Get pleasure from Conventional Meals
Throughout Hanukkah, many cruise ships supply early night packages with conventional meals. Our expertise aboard Movie star cruise ships has been constructive. A cantor or rabbi leads a brief service that features songs together with the lighting of an electrical hanukkiah. Afterward, the group is handled to kosher wine, latkes and sufganiyot, and challah if the day coincides with the Jewish Sabbath.
We now have had the nice fortune of chatting with folks from around the globe throughout these celebrations. Typically these encounters have blossomed into relationships that proceed after we return house.
As empty nesters, dwelling principally in a quiet home, we discover it uplifting to be aboard a cruise ship throughout the vacation season. Whereas the a long time of being surrounded by kids every single day are behind us, we will reap the advantages by having vacation household gatherings and filling the rest of our time with energizing experiences. Maybe when our grandchildren are slightly older, they may be a part of us on a vacation cruise so we will introduce them to a different certainly one of our traditions.
