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Have a very Happy Hanukkah with the best memes, GIFs, and jokes on the ‘net. Light up your candle (and maybe something else) and enjoy this special Jewish holiday during the eight dankest nights of the year! How will you celebrate Hanukkah?
Honestly, I haven’t celebrated this holiday since the year 2000. I was born from a Jewish mother and the son of a Catholic father. When my mom died in 2001, so did Hanukkah as it was no longer celebrated at the Dunlop house. But the gifts on Hanukkah were never all that special anyway, maybe an action figure or a magic 8-ball if I’m lucky. My final Hanukkah gift was to watch WWF (now WWE) Armageddon 2000 where I saw The Undertaker push Rikishi off the Hell in a Cell and onto a pick-up truck full of hay. That pay-per-view gift counted as my entire Hanukkah present (go figure).
So, what is Hanukkah anyway? This holiday commemorates the rededication of Jerusalem’s Holy Temple during the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. In the Rugrats Hanukkah special, it was called the Maccababy Revolt (go figure).
Rugrats/Nickelodeon
Hanukkah is celebrated on eight nights in December. This year, the holiday begins on Tuesday, December 12 and ends on Wednesday, December 20. Every day, you are supposed to observe the holiday by lighting one candle on the menorah. There are nine candles in total, and the top candle is meant to light every additional candle during the eight nights of Hanukkah. The top candle is known as the shamash or gabbai, meaning “attendant” or “servant.”
The traditional food of choice for Hanukkah is oil-based foods such as latkes and doughnuts. Don’t forget the matzo ball soup! Latkes are actually pretty damn good. You should try some and maybe slap on a Kippah (pronounced yamaka) if you’d like. And don’t worry about being accused of cultural appropriation, that’s just nonsense. Anyone is welcome to take part in the Jewish culture. You can even tell a joke or two (if you haven’t noticed, that’s also part of the culture).
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