Happy Hanukkah חג אורים שמח

If only Salvador Dali  was alive, yesterday was a surrealistic day, I’m positive he could have captured it in one of his amazing paintings…

Yesterday was the first day of Hanukkah.  The Jewish Festival of Lights.  I am clearly not a self-loathing Jew, and yet, in my mind Hanukkah is one Jewish Holiday not connected to restrictions (no fasting, no sitting at the synagogue for hours at a time, no special ceremonies), but mostly to lighting candles, singing, presents, and plenty of oil and mouth dripping good food.

According to traditional views and interpretations of the Holiday, the Festival of Lights is celebrated for a particular miracle.  When the Greek took over the second  Jewish Temple in Jerusalem around second century BCE, they looted the place, stopped the religious services, and outlawed Judaism.  Ultimately, an altar for Zeus was built inside the Holy of Holies (the most sanctified area within an already holy area within the Temple).  A Jewish revolt around 165 BCE was successful in liberating the Temple.  The Festival of Hanukkah was instituted in celebration of this miracle.  Judah the Maccabee (some translate as “Judah the Hammer”), ordered the Temple cleaned, a new altar erected, and new holy vessels to be made.  The Menorah, a special seven branches candelabrum was to be lit again.  But there was kosher oil for only one day.  The oil actually lasted for eight days, which is the second miracle of the Hanukkah Holiday, and possibly the reason why practically all the food of Hanukkah is drenched in oil…

Traditional doughnuts (sufganiot, 800 calories a pop), and traditional potato cakes (latkes, with the sour cream about the same calories) are served everywhere.  Children are playing with dreidels (sevivon), the candelabrum is lit at the window, all create a real Holiday feeling.  In many ways, very similar to Christmas.

Back to surrealism.  So here is how we spent our Hanukkah.  Dorit, my wife, made doughnuts and delivered them to Guy’s class at the Canadian International School of Beijing.  Later on we went to a candle lighting party at the Bite A Pitta restaurant in Beijing, where we met many dozens of fellow Israeli residents of Beijing as well as transients and travelers.  However, since the party was so crowded, and since Guy is a very picky eater (no jelly doughnuts for Guy, and no potato latkes either), we had to search for a nearby restaurant (SanLiTun area, near the Village in Beijing).  We found no other than One Thousand and One Nights, a Middle Eastern restaurant, serving excellent food, closest to our culinary preferences as possible in Beijing.  We had Falafel, Hummus, Shish-Kebab, Huge Arab Salad (delicious), and of course French Fries.  We also enjoyed a small portion of traditional belly dancing until Guy threatened to leave on account of the loud music.

So there we are, a small Israeli family, living in Beijing, whose children go to the Canadian School, celebrating a traditional Jewish Holiday at an Israeli restaurant, topping it all with a great dinner at a Middle Eastern restaurant with belly dancing…  Where is that Dali again?

Being in Beijing at the times of the Holidays is actually very different.  Christmas is really all around, with the Santas and the Reindeer, even the Gingerbread Houses and the Mistletoe.  Soon, we’ll have New Years (January 1 2012) and shortly after that another New Years (Chinese Year of the Dragon).

Some are very particular about what Holiday wishes you wish them.  Me, I’m open minded.  You can wish me Happy New Year three times a year.  As long as it comes with a smile and good intentions (and if there’s some good food involved), the more the merrier…