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Definition:
Hannukah is a Jewish holiday which, in its modern American incarnation, helps reveal the extent to which religions and religious practice can be determined more by culture than by religious tradition or orthodoxy. This is especially ironic given the fact that the Hannukah holiday originated in part from a war over Jewish cultural integration with non-Jewish culture. The word Hannukah comes from the Hebrew term for "dedication" and is the name for the eight-day Jewish festival beginning on the 25th day of Kislev which commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE, after the Maccabean forces defeated the Syrian-Greek enemies under over Antiochus Epiphanes (c. 215-164 BCE) in a war of liberation.
For hundreds of years, Jews had been dominated by foreign rulers. Antiochus was particularly despised because, in his attempts to develop greater "cultural unity" by requiring all of his subjects to adopt greater amounts of Greek culture - a process of forced Hellenization. Some Jews didn't mind this and in fact appreciated becoming more closely aligned with a world which they regarded as learned and civilized. Others, however, hated and were offended by the new laws - especially when it was forbidden to circumcise young boys, an attempt to further dilute Jewish cultural uniqueness.
Obviously Jews in modern America are not subjected to anything like bans on circumcision, but there is a similar debate in America among Jews: some appreciate the tolerance and religious liberty they find in America, even to the point where they become so assimilated that they are indistinguishable from non-Jews while others object to this and insist that Jews need to maintain religious, social, and cultural distinctions. Some are even arguing that it's wrong for Jews to marry non-Jews because this, too, dilutes Jewish cultural uniqueness.
The inevitable revolt against Antiochus was lead by a family of Jewish priests named the Maccabeans in 167 BCE with simple guerilla skirmishes, leading to a full-scale revolt across the entire country and the Syrian armies being driven out entirely. This created the first sovereign Jewish state in more than 400 years, which meant that the rededication of the Temple was especially welcome. Rededicating the Temple meant that the Jewish religion could exist independent of any outside cultural, religious, or political influences. According to tradition, when the Temple was rededicated, only a single day's supply of undefiled oil could be found. However, that little bit of oil lasted a full eight days - a miracle which is commemorated through eight days of Hannukah when observant Jews light a new candle on an eight-candle menorah every evening.
Hannukah in America
For a holiday that originated in a revolt against attempts to impose assimilation on Jews, though, Hannukah has proven to be a remarkably strong indicator about the degree to which Jews in America have assimilated to American culture - and to Christian culture in particular. Hannukah for Jews in America differs from that observed by Jews elsewhere in the world for whom Hannukah is a relatively minor holiday. For Jews in America, however, Hannukah has become a major event - and that is due to the influence of Christianity and Christmas. Changing Hannukah so that it looks more like Christmas as become a way in which Jews have "split the difference" - becoming more assimilated to Christian culture while insisting that they haven't entirely given upon Jewish traditions.
How has this been achieved? The first step was in choosing Hannukah itself. It always falls near the end of the year - sometimes closer and sometimes farther from Christmas, but always close enough that it could qualify. Second was in making Hannukah something grander than it traditionally had been. The American Jewish Committee has declared that Hannukah is not central to Judaism and that Jewish children do not need to be absent from schools on that day. Nevertheless, American Jews have come to treat Hannukah as if it were central - just as Chrismas grew from a minor holiday into the central day on the calendar for many Christians.
The third step has been to add to Hannukah many of the features which have long characterized Christmas. Many Jews buy and decorate a "Hannukah Bush" in place of a Christmas tree. Many Jews exchange a present on each of the eight nights of Hannukah and sometimes they exchange many presents on the final night. The end result is that Hannukah is now the "Jewish Christmas" and thus a symbol of the extent to which Judaism has changed in America. Jews are using a holiday celebrating anti-assimilation in order to demonstrate how much they have assimilated.
If religion really were separate from broader culture, developments like this shouldn't happen; moreover, if religion really were founded upon the absolute, eternal proclamations and will of some deity, then it should be more independent of human culture. This development of Hannukah into something close to the opposite of what it originally was is thus an interesting bit of evidence in favor of the criticism of religion that it's really all just human-made and then the creators claim that it comes from a god in order to ensure that people obey.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings:hanukkah
Common Misspellings: none
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