Indulge in the foods of the festive season, witness the lighting of giant menorahs, or partake in guided Hanukkah market tours
HOW TO CELEBRATE
The eight-day and night Jewish festival of lights, known as Hanukkah or Chanukah, will this year be celebrated from 18th to 26thDecember across the world, commemorating the miracle of light that occurred in Jerusalem’s sacred Jewish Temple centuries ago. Whilst Hanukkah is a festival of many traditions, including the lighting of the menorah, it is also largely celebrated through food, and the coming together of close family and friends. Families and friends from across the world gather to celebrate by singing hymns, playing games of spin the dreidel and exchanging gifts or money. In Israel, Hanukkah takes centre stage, as candles and lights brighten the streets and skies for eight days and nights. People in the UK may enjoy the festive lights of Oxford Street but nothing compares to the dazzling lights that hang from each tree and bush in spots such as Jerusalem’s Botanical Gardens, where displays are accompanied with background music from the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. In the Jaffa district of Tel Aviv, alongside the traditional Christmas tree, a huge hanukkiah and eight oversized dreidels will be illuminated in different colours, alongside four transparent, illuminated snow globes featuring traditional holiday symbols.
WHAT TO EAT
For those looking for the full experience, Israel’s multitude of Jewish bakeries and festive markets make it the perfect place to immerse in Jewish festive traditions. Across Israel, bakeries and confectionaries prepare for weeks to celebrate the National Holiday. Fried foods are eaten during Hanukkah to celebrate the miracle of light, where one small quantity of oil, which was only supposed to burn for one night, burnt for eight full nights. Delectable treats such as sufganiyot, doughnuts dusted with powdered sugar and filled with strawberry jam, or babka, a sweet, braided bread or cake, are shared between friends and family throughout the holiday season.
To try these delicious Israeli sweet treats first hand, visitors can head to one of Israel’s many bakeries and patisseries, such as Roladin,Lehamim or the iconic Café Kadosh. Located across Israel, with 78 bakeries, Roladin patisserie is famous for serving modern and adventurous varieties of sufganiyot, including banana coffee or a dulce de leche flavour. In Jerusalem, Café Kadosh boasts over 25 different flavours of doughnut, with locals and visitors lining the streets to try its iconic array of doughnuts. Perfect for chocoholics, Lehamim’s special chocolate babka is the ideal sweet treat to share with family and friends. Those looking for vegan options can venture to Café Xoho. Although most sufganiyot contain either eggs or butter, Tel Aviv’s Cafe Xoho offers vegan sufganiyot that incorporate unique twists and use vegan ingredients such as almond butter.
Once visitors have eaten their share of sufganiyot and other traditional sweet treats, Israel hosts an abundance of curated food tours, spotlighting the gastronomical journey of Hanukkah. Walking the Hanukkah markets and getting lost in Jerusalem’s cobbled streets, tour routes are lit up by the menorahs and bright lights of the holiday season. By touring Israel this way, visitors are able to appreciate the stunning architecture, synagogues and religious festivities that surround them, whilst also engaging with local Israeli cuisine and interacting with traditional Jewish culture. To immerse in the flavours of Hanukkah, Yalla Basta’s Taste of Israel guided tour of Jerusalem explores the Machne Yehuda Market, meeting local people and producers along the way. The tour later ventures into Jerusalem’s sea of menorahs and decorations, listening to the stories of locals that live within the Nachlaot neighbourhood.
FESTIVE ISRAELI TRADITIONS
For visitors who want to fully immerse themselves in the traditions of Hanukkah the Israeli way, the annual Hanukkah Torch Relay marks the beginning of the National Holiday every year. The spectacle results in hundreds of people lining the roads between the city of Modi’in outside Tel Aviv, all the way to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, to catch a glimpse of the lighting of the giant menorah. For something more educational, visitors can join Magical Menorah Tours, held in conjunction with The Tower of David Museum. Hosted in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, the tours aim to teach visitors and local families about the history of Hanukkah, alongside the traditional songs and festivities that are experienced at this time of year. With something for every taste, and culture to last a lifetime, there is no better place than Israel to celebrate Hanukkah.
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