If wikipedia is correct, Hanukkah 2019 begins at sundown tonight.

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday which celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the larger Syrian army. It also celebrates a miracle that happened during this time, where just a day’s supply of oil allowed the menorah in the rededicated Temple in Jerusalem to remain lit for eight days. Therefore, Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah for eight days. Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which on the Gregorian calendar is late November or December. For example, in 2013 it started on November 27. The Hebrew word hanukkah means rededication.

The hanukiah (or hanukkah menorah) is a candle holder, an important Hanukkah symbol. It has nine branches. Traditionally, one candle is separated from the rest, usually by being higher than the other eight. On the first night, only one candle is lit, on the right side of the hanukiah. On the second night, a second candle is added, and they are lit from left to right — but the Hanukkiah is filled from right to left. This continues for all eight nights. The candles are never lit directly – instead, the higher candle, (called a shamash, meaning “attendant”) is lit first, and then used to light the rest of the candles. While the candles are lit, blessings are said over them.

Jewish children often play a game called dreidel. The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top, each side having a Hebrew letter. The four letters (nun, gimel, hey, shin) stand for the Hebrew phrase, “Nes gadol haya shaam,” meaning, “A great miracle happened there.” In Israel, by contrast, the dreidel reads “Po” instead of “shaam,” meaning “here.” So in Israel the phrase is, “a great miracle happened here.”

What the Hell Happened to Me? is the second studio album by Adam Sandler. It contains the official recording of “The Chanukah Song” (recorded live at UCSB), which has become a holiday staple and one of the best-known works by Sandler. The song hit #80 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #25 on the US Modern Rock charts. The album spent 57 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and peaked at #18. The album also has been certified double-platinum, and as of 2011, has sold over 2,124,000 copies in the US. That makes it the best-selling comedy album since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. The “Excited Southerner” skits on the album are early versions of what would end up being his character ‘Bobby Boucher’ in 1998’s The Waterboy. Sandler went on a 21-day US tour to support the album, complete with a live backing band. The live performance from June 29, 1996 was aired as an hour long special on HBO.

I remember watching this episode of Saturday Night Live and getting a big kick out of the song. It’s light-hearted but serious, as it gets the information out there. “The Chanukah Song” is written by comedian Adam Sandler with Saturday Night Live writers Lewis Morton and Ian Maxtone-Graham and originally performed by Sandler on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update on December 3, 1994. Sandler subsequently performed the song as part of his stand-up act, later updating it with new lyrics. All variations center on the theme of Jewish children feeling alienated during the Christmas season, and Sandler’s listing of Jewish celebrities (both real and fictional) as a way of sympathizing with their situation.

Okay
This is a song that uhh
There’s a lot of Christmas songs out there and uhh
Not too many Chanukah songs
So uhh
I wrote a song for all those nice little Jewish kids who don’t get to hear any Chanukah songs
Here we go!

Put on your yarmulke
Here comes Hanukkah
So much funukkah
To celebrate Hanukkah

Hanukkah is
The Festival of Lights
Instead of one day of presents
We have eight crazy nights!

When you feel like the only kid in town
Without a Christmas tree
Here’s a list of people who are Jewish
Just like you and me

David Lee Roth lights the Menorah
So does James Caan, Kirk Douglas and the late Dina Shore-ah
Guess who eats together at the Carnegie Deli?
Bowzer from Sha Na Na and Arthur Fonzerelli

Paul Newman’s half Jewish, Goldie Hawn’s half too
Put them together, what a fine looking Jew!

You don’t need “Deck the Halls” or “Jingle Bell Rock”
Cause you can spin a dreidel with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock (both Jewish!)

Put on your yarmulke
Its time for Hanukkah
The owner of the Seattle Supersonic-ahs
Celebrates Hanukkah

O.J. Simpson: not a Jew
But guess who is?: Hall-of-famer Rod Carew (he converted)
We got Ann Landers and her sister Dear Abby
Harrison Ford’s a quarter Jewish – not too shabby!

Some people think that Ebenezer Scrooge is
Well he’s not, but guess who is?: All three Stooges!
So many Jews are in showbiz
Tom Cruise isn’t, but I heard his agent is

Tell your friend Veronica
Its time you celebrate Hanukkah
I hope I get a harmonica
On this lovely, lovely Hanukkah

So drink your gin and tonic-ah
And smoke your marijuani-kkah
If you really, really wanna-kkha
Have a happy, happy, happy, happy Hanukkah

Happy Hanukkah!

Songwriters: SANDLER ADAM R / MAXTONE-GRAHAM IAN H / MORTON LEWIS N