LP Lotion: 2006 Christmas - Epcot's World Showcase Storytellers
Page 7 of 13

The Festival of Lights

In 165 BC with the help of neighboring Hasideans, the Maccabees defeated the vastly superior forces of the Syrian King, and liberated the city of Jerusalem. Upon entering the Central Synagogue the Maccabees discovered that the temple had been desecrated with the blood and bodies of slain pigs. The sacred Torah scrolls had been burned. The containers of holy oil for the "Eternal Flame" were overturned and spilled out upon the ground. However, a small bottle containing the equivalent of on day's worth of olive oil was discovered intact. The flame was lit using the existing oil and the reconsecration of the temple begun.

At least eight day were required to send for and receive more oil for preserving the "Eternal Flame." The flame burned for the entire eight days; time enough to build a new altar and sanctify the temple. Thus was Chanukah instituted by the Maccabees. The eight day celebration begins on the eve of the 25th day of the Hebrew month Kislev (December). One candle on a Menorah is lit each day to commemorate the "miracle of the Chanukah" until all eight candles are burningon the last night. The dreidel, a four-sided toy marked with Hebrew letters and spun like a top in a game of chance, was created to help tell children the story of Chanukah.

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Video: The Chanukah Storyteller (6 minutes, 14 seconds)
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