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Hanukkah Songs and Music

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Hanukkah Celebration

Hanukkah Celebration: Understanding the Jewish Festival of Lights

For eight nights each year, Jews celebrate the Festival of Lights, known as Hanukkah. Hanukkah celebrates the miracles that occurred more than 2,000 years ago when Judah and the Maccabees fought against religious persecution, rededicated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and lit the menorah (a candelabrum) with one day’s worth of oil that, amazingly, lasted for eight. Let the Hanukkah Celebration Web Guide show you where to find information on Hanukkah customs, traditions, food, blessings, music and more.

Hanukkah Traditions

Hanukkah traditions date back to Hellenistic times and the reign of one of ... read more »

Hanukkah Food and Recipes

Fried and oily are the words most commonly associated with Hanukkah food. They are ... read more »

Hanukkah Songs and Music

“I Have a Little Dreidel” is one of the best-known Hanukkah songs. But there’s a lot more to Hanukkah’s rich musical tradition. The Web sites in this section teach you about Hanukkah music, allowing you to read the lyrics and listen to the tunes. Hanukkah blessings are also included.

Insights for Hanukkah Songs and Music

  • The Diaspora of the Jews (which began in the year 587 BCE, when the Babylonians conquered Judea) was a major force in shaping Jewish history and culture. It scattered the Jewish community throughout the world, resulting in the evolution of multiple melodies for the same traditional song. In the links below, you’ll find songs and prayers recited in a number of different ways.
  • Due to copyright restrictions, you may not be able to listen to certain songs in their entirety from the sites in this section. If any of the songs pique your interest, consider buying them from iTunes, eMusic or a similar service.

Top Sites for Hanukkah Songs and Music

For Hanukkah blessings ...
Torah.org lays out the three main blessings (or brachot) to be said upon lighting Hanukkah candles. The prayers are written in Hebrew with an English interpretation and transliteration for each one. An explanation on how you should recite the prayers, in what order and on what days is also provided. Listen to audio recitations of the blessings, or look for more blessings at the bottom of the page.
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For Hanukkah songs and music …
123Holiday.net includes five of the most popular Hanukkah songs: “I Have a Little Dreidel,” “Sivivon, sov, sov, sov,” “Maoz Tzur,” “Chanuka, Chanuka” and “Chanuka, oh Chanuka.” English interpretations and phonetic spelling are provided.
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Songs for Teaching offers “Chanukah Songs for Children and Families.” The site has a wide selection of songs, such as “Eight Candles” and “Judah Maccabee, the Hammer.” Not only does the site provide the lyrics but it also has audio clips of each song sung by different performers. Purchase a CD or download the songs from this site.
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Aish.com provides several popular Hanukkah songs for your listening pleasure. This site does not have as many songs as the previous site but it does offer more extended MP3 audio files of the songs to accompany the lyrics.
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Hanukkah Products

It’s no fun to sing “I Have a Little Dreidel” if you do not have a little ... read more »

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