Tag Archives: light

The Story of Hanukkah

29 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by in Giving Tips, Holidays, Special Events

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Thanksgiving has come and gone, then without skipping a single beat, it seems that Jewish holiday hanukkah celebration with vintage menorahChristmas has arrived. Now, we are being bombarded with TV commercials, online ads and emails letting us know that December 25 will be here soon. While there’s no denying Christmas is one of the most popular holidays celebrated in the United States, it’s important to remember that there are several other celebrations also taking place in December. In the next series, we will explore a handful of the holidays – starting with Hanukkah.

Hanukkah, also known as Chanukah, is an eight-day celebration of light takes place this year from December 2 to December 10. The story dates back thousands of years ago to 200 BC. At that time, the land of Israel was under the control of Antiochus III and the Syrian Greeks. During his reign, Antiochus allowed Jewish people to continue practicing their religion, but when his son, Antiochus IV assumed power, he outlawed Judaism and forced the Judeans to worship Greek gods.

In 168 BC, soldiers of Anthiochus III invaded Jerusaleum where they killed thousands of people and destroyed the city’s sacred Second Temple. Within the temple’s holy walls, soldiers slaughtered pigs and erected a statue of Zeus. After the desecration, a Jewish priest named Mattathias started the Maccabean Revolt. Immediately following his death in 166 BC, his son Judah took charge of the rebellion. Finally, after three long years of battle, the war came to an end, and the Judeans successfully drove the Syrians out of Israel.

Following the victory, Judeans wanted to light the menorah to rededicate the Second Temple but discovered that they only had enough oil to keep the candles burning for one day. They decided to take a chance and light the candles. Then a miracle happened. The candles continued to flicker for the following eight days, leaving them plenty of time to find a fresh supply of oil. Jewish sages then proclaimed an annual eight-day festival.

Today, the Hanukkah celebration is centered on the lighting of the menorah. After sundown each night, another candle is lit. The menorah is then displayed in the window to remind others of the original miracle.

A common question that many people ask is whether or not Chanukkah is a gift-giving holiday. You may be surprised to learn that there are no biblical or Talmudic roots connected to the idea of giving gifts during the Hanukkah season, but there is a timeworn tradition of instilling the value of charity. Many families have adopted the tradition of giving gelt (or money) to their children each weeknight of Hanukkah. Children then give a portion of their gift to charity. What an inspiring concept!

This year, let’s make an effort to remember all of the December celebrations, not just Christmas. We may not have the same beliefs or traditions as our neighbors, but it’s our differences that make our world all the more interesting.

Happy Holidays from Lions Pride!

 

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Spring Ahead for Daylight Saving

08 Thursday Mar 2018

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pexels-photo-359989

The time has finally arrived; it’s the moment that we’ve all been waiting for! Okay, maybe this isn’t exactly the event we’ve been early anticipating since snow first touched the ground, but it means we’re getting closer. Daylight Saving will be starting on Sunday morning at 2 am.

DST is that special time of the year where we get out step ladders and car manuals to set the clocks one hour ahead. You probably already know that when Daylight Saving Time starts, the sun will rise and set one hour earlier than the previous day, but here a few fun facts that you may have not already heard:

While out on an early morning horseback ride in London, Willett came up with an idea that would allow more people to enjoy the sunlight. He spent much of his lifetime and personal wealth, advocating that the United Kingdom move clocks forward by 80 minutes between April and October. Sadly, he never saw his idea come to fruition.

  • Germany was the first country to observe Daylight Saving Time

On April 30, 1916, Germany embraced the idea of daylight saving to conserve energy. Weeks later, the United Kingdom followed suit and “summer hours” were born.

  • Daylight Saving Time was never supposed to benefit formers, contrary to popular belief

Many people assume that farmers were strongly in favor of Daylight Saving Time when it was just the opposite. The agriculture culture was very opposed to the time switch when it was implemented in 1918. The sun, not the clock – dictated farmers’ schedules, so Daylight Saving Time was actually quite disruptive. After the time change, farmers had to wait an extra hour for the dew to evaporate, hired hands worked an hour less and it was too early to milk the cows. Over the past few decades, stores and recreational businesses have been the true champions of DST.

Although most of us change our clocks twice a year, Daylight Saving Time is not observed by Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation,) Hawaii, Puerto Rice or the Virgin Islands. Worldwide, only approximately one quarter or 70 percent of countries observe DST.

People all across the America seem to either love or hate the observance of Daylight Saving Time. How do you feel about the time change? If given a choice, would you do away with the practice?

We may not be looking forward to less sleep, but here at Lions Pride, we are looking forward to the extra hour of sunlight. Remember, spring is right around the corner – don’t forget to enjoy the time change!

 

The Super Blue Blood Moon Phenomenon

25 Thursday Jan 2018

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The phrase, “once in a blue moon” will be taken to a whole new level next week. If you Full Moonrecall, we were just graced with the appearance of a full moon to help welcome a new year on January 1; however, next week, we will be revisited – this time with a couple of exciting additions.

On Wednesday, January 31, we’ll get to experience a Super Blue Blood Moon. The upcoming supermoon is of special interest to moon-gazers because it will mark the occasion of four separate lunar events all in one night – for the first time in 150 years. To prepare you for this spectacular night, let’s break down exactly what you can expect to see.

Blue Moon

Contrary to the expression, the moon will not actually turn blue on Wednesday. Astronomers use the term when two full moons appear in the same month. Although blue moons are rare, they aren’t as uncommon as you might imagine. According to NASA, Blue Moons take place every two and a half years (but we will see it again in March!)

Blood Moon

We may not see blue hues, but we will not be without out-of-this-world color. Many parts of the world will see the moon change into a reddish shade just before the lunar eclipse. The red light bends as it passes through the Earth’s atmosphere and reflects on the moon’s surface causing the anticipated blood orange color.

Super Moon

A supermoon is a popular, non-scientific term describing the conditions in which the moon comes to the closest distance to the Earth. Because ‘supermoon’ is not an official astronomical term, there is no definition about how close the full moon has to be in order to be labeled as super, but astronomers estimate this particular moon will be 7 percent larger than usual.

Lunar Eclipse

During a total lunar eclipse, the moon aligns itself with Earth in a straight line, disappearing from sights because it no longer reflects light from the sun, which leaves us with a beautiful, shadow-free view.

Here at Lions Pride, we love all of the extraordinary astronomical events taking place in recent months! Remember, the solar eclipse that happened back in August? Well, between us, we may be a little more partial to the lunar eclipse as there is no serious risk of blindness from this observation.

Eclipse Times

Where do you plan to seek out the supermoon? According to Bob Bonadurer, director of the Milwaukee Public Museum’s Daniel M. Soref National Geographic Dome Theater & Planetarium, “… With lunar eclipses, it doesn’t matter where you are because the moon is so bright and visible,” so it sounds like location will not be an issue for this particular event.

Enjoy the Super Blue Blood Moon!

The History of Hanukkah

11 Thursday Dec 2014

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This time of the year, it seems the only topic we hear about is Christmas. Although it Menorahis one of the most popular December holidays here in Wisconsin, it is important to remember that there are other holidays happening simultaneously around the country and the world. For the remainder of the month, we will explore all of these holidays beginning with Hanukkah.

Hanukkah (or Chanukah) is an eight-day celebration of light that begins this year on December 17th. The story dates back to 200 BC; the land of Israel was under the control of Antiochus III and the Syrian Greeks. At that time, Antiochus allowed Jewish people to continue practicing their religion. When his son, Antiochus IV assumed power, he outlawed Judaism and forced the Judeans to worship Greek gods.

A rebellion, led by Jewish priest Mattathias, broke out after soldier desecrated the city’s Holy Temple and built a statue of Zeus. Mattathias died in 166 BC, and his son Judah took charge. Finally in 165 BC, after three years of battle, the war came to an end; and the Judeans were able to drive the Syrians out of Israel.

To rededicate the Second Temple, they wanted to light the menorah, but soon found that they only had enough olive oil to keep the candles burning for one day. They decided to light the candles and; then a miracle happened. The candles continued to flicker for eight days, leaving the Judeans plenty of time to find a fresh supply of oil. Jewish sages then proclaimed an annual eight-day festival.

Today, the Hanukkah celebration is centered on the lighting of the menorah. Each night of the celebration, another candle is lit after sundown. The menorah is then displayed in the window to remind others of the past miracle.

People often wonder whether or not, Chanukah is a gift-giving holiday. Surprisingly, there are no biblical or Talmudic roots connected to the idea of gift giving. However, there is a timeworn tradition to give children the gifts of gelt, also known as money, to teach them the value of charity in addition to keeping the environment festive and happy. Many families have adopted the tradition for every weeknight of Hanukkah.

This holiday season, don’t forget to remember all of the December holidays, not just the ones celebrated in your family. Happy holidays from all of us at Lions Pride!

Sources:

http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/449706/jewish/Is-Giving-Chanukah-Presents-a-Non-Jewish-Custom.htm http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/hanukkah
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Hanukkah/History.shtml?p=1