Wondered why dreidels spin and fried foods abound at Hanukkah? We offer a menorah’s worth of answers

Questions loom large in Jewish tradition.

Every year at Passover, during the ritual observance known as the Seder, the youngest child at the table asks four questions, the answers to which explain the holiday's history and significance.

Hanukkah's hardly in Passover's league -- the majors -- when it comes to important Jewish holidays.

But there are still plenty of questions surrounding Hanukkah traditions, especially from those who mistakenly describe it as the "Jewish Christmas."

True, both holidays are observed on the 25th of the month -- Christmas on Dec. 25, Hanukkah on the 25th day of Kislev . (Judaism follows a lunar calendar, which explains why Jewish holidays, including Hanukkah, shift dates from year to year on our secular, solar-based calendar.)

This year's Festival of Lights begins at sundown Tuesday.

And in keeping with Hanukkah's eight-day duration, we've assembled eight question-and-answer combos to help put the holiday in perspective.

So get ready to light the menorah, fry some latkes, set the dreidel spinning and don your yarmulke, 'cause it's almost time for Hanukkah!

First night, first question: Who is Judah Maccabee? (And why does Mel Gibson want to make a movie about him?)

Hanukkah commemorates the victory of Judah Maccabee and his four brothers over Syrian-Greek forces in 165 B.C.

When King Antiochus IV of Syria prohibited Jews from observing their sacred rituals -- and converted the Temple in Jerusalem into a pagan shrine -- the Maccabees led what's considered the first revolt for religious liberty in recorded history.

Following their victory, the Temple was cleansed and rededicated; in Hebrew, Hanukkah means "dedication."

As for Gibson, who reportedly has a studio deal to produce a movie about Judah Maccabee, he has long been interested in filming the story because he found Maccabees I and II such "ripping good reads," as he told The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg. (The books are part of the Apocrypha and not included in the Jewish Bible; 11 of the Apocrypha's 15 books are accepted by Catholics, however.)

Second night, second question: Why does Hanukkah last eight days? (And why does the Hanukkah menorah have nine candles?)

After the victorious Maccabees recaptured the Temple, they discovered their enemies had desecrated all but one vial of the sacred oil used to light the candelabrum known as a menorah. Despite having only a one-day supply, the High Priest lit the menorah anyway -- and, miraculously, it burned for eight nights. But there are nine candles on a Hanukkah menorah, also known as a Hanukkiot: eight to commemorate the miracle of Hanukkah and one, the shamash ("servant"), used to light the others, one night at a time, until all the candles are burning bright on Hanukkah's final night.

Third night, third question: What's the history behind Hanukkah gift-giving traditions?

Traditionally, gift-giving was part of the Purim holiday, not Hanukkah. Instead, Jewish children received Hanukkah gelt ("money," in Yiddish) or chocolate coins. Giving more elaborate gifts -- some families give a gift a night, others don't -- is a relatively new practice, inspired by the proximity of Hanukkah and Christmas, in part so Jewish kids would have their own holiday to celebrate.

Fourth night, fourth question: What do the Hebrew letters on the dreidel mean? (And how do you play the game?)

Each side of the four-sided top has a Hebrew letter: nun, gimmel, hay and shin; they stand for Nes gadol haya sham ("A great miracle happened there"). On Israeli dreidels, the shin is replaced by a different letter, peh -- and the phrase becomes "A great miracle happened here."

But dreidels aren't just for spinning. They're also central to a game in which players bet gelt, chocolate coins or other tokens; what you spin determines whether you get nothing (nun), the entire pot (gimmel), half the pot (hay) or contribute a coin to the pot (shin).

Fifth night, fifth question: What's with the fried foods?

To commemorate the miracle of the oil, potato pancakes, known as latkes, are a staple of Hanukkah parties -- as are sufganiyot, jelly doughnuts fried in oil. (Good luck sticking to your diet.)

Sixth night, sixth question: Why are there so many different ways to spell Hanukkah?

Should it be Hanukah? Chanukah? Chanuka? It's a Hebrew word and transliterations vary; Associated Press style stipulates "Hanukkah," so that's good enough for us. Just don't forget to pronounce the gutteral "ch" at the beginning of the word and you'll be fine.

Seventh night, seventh question: Why are there so few good Hanukkah songs?

Actually, there are more than you think; beyond Adam Sandler's sassy "Hanukkah Song" and the playful "I Have a Little Dreidel," there's the stirring "Mao Tzur" ("Rock of Ages" -- a different "Rock of Ages" than the Christian hymn), sung to the tune of a 15th-century German folk song, and the idealistic "Light One Candle," by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame.

Not surprisingly, however, there are a lot more Christmas songs -- many of them written by Jewish songwriters, from Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" to "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by Johnny Marks, who wrote so many Christmas songs he named his publishing company St. Nicholas Music.

Eighth night, eighth question: Where are the good Hanukkah movies?

And the short answer is ... on TV. With the (possible) exception of the 2003 comedy "The Hebrew Hammer," in which the blaxploitation-style hero (Adam Goldberg) saves Hanukkah from Santa Claus' evil son, the small screen's where it's at when it comes to quality Hanukkah viewing. (Notice we said "quality," which leaves out Adam Sandler's 2002 animated "Eight Crazy Nights.")

Among our favorites: the "South Park" episode "A Lonely Jew on Christmas," "A Rugrats Chanukah" and "The OC's" interfaith episode "The Best Chrismukkah Ever." And the 1995 PBS documentary "Not in Our Town" chronicles the efforts of Billings, Mont., residents to confront the white supremacists in their midst.

Which means we're still waiting for the ultimate Hanukkah movie -- so Mel Gibson has a shot at redemption with "Judah Maccabee."

After all, as Hanukkah proves, miracles do happen.

Contact reporter Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.