There are three traditional Hanukkah decorations for this Jewish holiday. These are the menorah, the dreidel and the gelt bag. The menorah is a sacred religious symbol while the dreidel and the gelt bag are children's toys to remind them of their Jewish heritage. But Hanukkah would be bare without these items. Menorahs are a sort of candelabra with eight candles to symbolize the sacred days of Hanukkah and one extra in the middle. On each night of Hanukkah one of the candles is lit. This is meant to remember an ancient war in Jerusalem when only enough lamp oil for one night was available to people hiding in a Temple under siege by the Greeks. It was deemed a miracle that the oil lasted the length of the eight days. Today many materials are used in menorahs from silver or wood to individual tea light holders. These can also be oil or electric. The image of the menorah can be used on party goods especially for the children's table. The dreidel is a spinning top which children use in a game. There are also ornamental dreidels on the market which range from penny items to hundreds of dollars and come in many materials from silver and crystal to Lucite. If ordering online or from a catalogue make sure to read the product description carefully and order the one that best fits the purpose. If children are to play with the dreidel, be sure to order the child-safe version. Used in close association with the dreidel is the gelt bag. Gelt is the Yiddish word for money and the children receive gelt bags in which to keep their foil covered candy or real coins. The money is used to place bets on the dreidel game. |
