Open Thread

hannukah needs more festive decorations tho.

*rob*

Wow slopefarm. That’s the best description of the holiday I’ve ever read anywhere.

Or, as with most Jewish holidays:

We fought!
We won!
Let’s eat!

jackal — it’s a minor Jewish holiday rooted in the book of maccabees from the apocrypha but inflated largely due to cultural competition with Christmas. It celebrates the revolt of a jewish group known as the Hasmoneans (led by the Maccabi family) against the leadership of hellenized jews (i.e. assimilated into post Alexandrian Greek culture and beliefs) in, I believe, the 2nd or 3rd century bce. Revolt led to restoration of the temple in Jerusalem previously sacked by the Babylonians. Eight nights because there was apparently only enough oil for the “eternal” lamp to last one day when the temple was restored, but it lasted 8. After the miracle, Hasmoneans turned out to be despots. But the holiday took on note of celebration of religious freedom as the rebellion was recast as one against being told to bow down to statues of Greek gods.

I just found out that a good friend of mine is the sister of Ian Frazier!