Celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year's in Israel (Part 1)

Happy New Year!

These last few weeks have been so fun, because from the end of November to this past weekend, I celebrated a series of holidays in Israel, starting with observing Hanukkah, and Advent/Christmas (in Jerusalem and Bethlehem!), and most recently, New Year's. 

Needless to say, it's been a great few weeks!

This was my first Hanukkah ever, and it was extra special to be celebrating it in Israel. I was able to learn about the significance of the holiday and enjoy the traditions of it, from lighting the menorah, eating jelly donuts, listening to holiday music (the Maccabeats are amazing!) and playing the dredel game.

I also loved learning about its connection to my own faith. Hanukkah is not one of the original holidays given by God to the Jewish people, as the event it commemorates (God making the oil last for 8 days during the Maccabean Revolt) happened during the inter-Testamental period, also known as the 400 years of silence.

However, that doesn't mean this holiday isn't in the Bible, because it is! When Jesus stood up at the Temple in John 8 and said, "I am the light of the world", it was on the 8th night, the night when all the lamps of the Temple were lit! There is also a direct reference to the Feast of Dedication in John 10:22.

Amazing!

One more thing... right before Hanukkah started, there was an amazing discovery in Hebron: a sling stone marked with the sign of the Greek king at the time of the Hasmonean rule—dating back to the Maccabean revolt!

AND, on the last night of Hanukkah, a coin, candle, and biblical-era seal ring, all dating back to the Hasmonean era, were found in Jerusalem.

That is SO COOL!!!!!