SONG OF THE monDAY
Light One Candle was written by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary and recorded for their 1986 album, No Easy Walk to Freedom. The menorah is a nine-branch candelabrum. On each night of Hanukkah a new branch is lit. The ninth holder is the shamash and is used to light the other candles. It's often offset on either a higher or lower plane. A seven-branch menorah and the Star of David are the traditional symbols of Judaism.
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SONG OF THE tuesDAY
How Do You Spell Chunnukkah? is by The LeeVees from Hanukkah Rocks (2005). Romanized, it’s spelled Chanukah or Hanukah, but in Hebrew, Hanukkah means dedication and is a celebration of the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees victory over the Seleucid Empire. It begins the 25th day of Kislev, sometime between late November and late December. This year, it starts today at sundown and goes until sunset next Wednesday.
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SONG OF THE wednesDAY
Hanukkah Blessings is from the 2004 Barenaked Ladies album, Barenaked for the Holidays. The holiday-themed album is the first released from BNL's independent label, Desperation Records. It was also the first to not have a track recorded in the nude. On the first night of Hanukkah, there are three blessings said before lighting the menorah. For seven nights after, only the first two are repeated. Candles are added to the menorah from right to left.
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SONG OF THE thursDAY
Hanukkah Dance is from the Woody Guthrie collection, Hard Travelin': The Asch Recordings, Vol. 3. The collection was recorded in 1944 and 1945 and released by Smithsonian Folkways as a four-volume set. Latkes are potato pancakes made during Hanukkah. The word can be traced from Yiddish to the Greek word for olive oil, which is also used during Hanukkah to honor the flask of oil that kept the Second Temple's menorah lit during the Maccabean Revolt.
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SONG OF THE friDAY
Candlelight is a song by The Maccabeats. Released in 2010, the parody of Taio Cruz's Dynamite went viral, landing at the top spot on Billboard's Comedy Digital Tracks. The Maccabees are often used as a synonym for the Hasmonean dynasty, but Maccabees proper were Mattathias ben Johanan, a priest, and his sons. Maccabee was an epithet for Judah, the oldest son. It came from the Aramaic word meaning the hammer in recognition of his ferocity in battle.
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SONG OF THE saturDAY
The Chanukah Song was written by Adam Sandler and two writers from Saturday Night Live and originally performed during Weekend Update in December, 1994. Another version appears on Sandler's 1996 album What the Hell Happened to Me. Today, there are 14.4 million people who practice Judaism, 6.3 million in Israel, 5.7 million in the U.S., and the rest spread all over the world. Jewish teachings are based on the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.
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SONG OF THE sunDAY
The Glee cast's version of the Barenaked Ladies' arrangement of the song Hanukkah, Oh Hannukah is on the album, Glee: The Music, The Christmas album Vol. 3. Jake-Puck sing the vocals. The Horah is a circle dance where people hold hands or interlock arms and move to the right in a fast and cheerful motion. It's popular for Jewish weddings and other celebrations and is performed to Israeli folk songs, most commonly to the music of Hava Nagila.
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