Friday, December 4th

Hanukkah, The Festival Of Lights

Greeting Card Universe Hanukkah Card

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, lasts for 8 days and is a celebration of light over dark. This year, Hanukkah starts December 6 and ends December 14. The symbols of Hanukkah include menorahs, dreidels, and foil-covered chocolate coins.

Hanukkah is commemorated by lighting the candles of a menorah, a 9-armed candelabra. Each night an additional candle is lit. The extra candle, which is used to light the other candles, is called a shamash and is situated in a distinct location on the menorah, either above or below the other candles. After blessings are recited, the candles burn for at least half an hour after darkness falls

Dishes traditionally associated with Hanukkah include latkes, braised brisket, noodle kugel and chocolate babka. The custom of eating food cooked in oil stems from the miracle of a small amount of oil keeping the flame in the temple lit for eight days.

It’s traditional to invite family and friends to Hanukkah dinner to enjoy the fellowship, good food, and fun games. Please see our Hanukkah Festival of Lights Pinterest Board  for recipe, home decor, craft, DIY and greeting card ideas.

In each of the years of his presidency, President Obama and family have had a special menorah take center stage. Some special menorahs included a 90-year-old menorah in 2012 that survived Hurricane Sandy and in 2013 the menorah was from the Jewish Museum in Prague. (More information available at Help Us Find Menorahs for the White House Hanukkah Receptions

We at Greeting Card Universe wish you and your family Hanukkah Sameach!

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Monday, November 18th

Thanksgivukkah!


Thanksgivukkah – Thanksgiving + Hanukkah – is an occurrence of the two holidays that won’t happen again for more than 70,000 years.

Jewish families who typically celebrate Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November) and Hanukkah will be able to combine the  holidays this year. Since both center around the themes of thankfulness and gratitude, many see no conflict in a twin celebration.

What does that mean? Sufganiyot stuffed with cranberry jelly or pumpkin pie. Sweet potato knish. Latkes stuffed with a challah-based dressing. When two cross-cultural holidays collide at the feast table, imagination comes into play.

Greeting Card Universe offers unique Thanksgivukkah cards for your double holiday needs. For those who prefer to keep their holiday celebrations separate, check out our large collections of Thanksgiving cards and Hanukkah cards for every member of your family, your friends, co-workers, and everyone else on your holiday list.

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Saturday, November 24th

5 Facts About Hanukkah You May Not Know


Also known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah (alternatively spelled Chanukah) is a Jewish religious holiday celebrated annually for eight days. The holiday commemorates a miraculous event which occurred in the second century B.C. during the Maccabean  Revolt. When the Second Temple in Jerusalem was rededicated, the menorah candles burned for eight days even though there was only oil enough for a single day.

Hanukkah’s date changes each year owing to the Hebrew lunar calendar. In 2012, Hanukkah begins after sundown on December 8, and continues until sundown on December 16.

Here are five facts about Hanukkah you may not know:

  1. The story of Hanukkah isn’t in the Torah because the Jewish revolt against the King of Syria and the temple miracle happened after the Torah was written. It is mentioned in the New Testament in John 10:22, where Hanukkah is referenced as the “feast of dedication.”
  2. The nine-branched candelabrum used during the Hanukkah celebration is called a “hanukiah.” The central candle (ninth) is called the “shamash” or “helper.”
  3. Foods eaten in celebration of Hanukkah are often fried in oil to commemorate the temple miracle. Most popular are latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot or sufganiyah (jam filled doughnuts), a popular Israeli Hanukkah treat.
  4. Because Hanukkah often overlaps Christmas, in North America, Jewish families frequently celebrate both holidays. Some families even go so far as to celebrate the pop culture, interfaith hit, Chrismukkah, a lighthearted mash-up of Christmas and Hanukkah.
  5. A game is traditionally played with a four-sided top called a dreidel. Each side of the dreidel has a Hebrew letter which creates an acronym for phrase, “nes gadol hayah sham” – a great miracle happened here.

Greeting Card Universe helps you celebrate Hanukkah with friends, family, coworkers, and business partners with unique traditional and modern designs from our international community of artists.

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