The Shamash is used to light all the other candles. On the first day of Hanukkah, we light the Shamash, then use it to light the first candle. The candles are lit from right to left.
We also sing Jewish songs that are special for Hanukkah. One of the songs we sing is the Maoz Tzur. We sing it every night after lighting the Menorah. Sometimes my voice squeaks but we still have a merry time!
The food is fried in olive oil to show the miracle of the burning oil lamp. The lamp is important because it was found in the temple with only one day of oil in it, but it burned for 8 days. This is why Hanukkah is 8 days long, and also why the candles are often filled with oil.
My family gives each other gifts every night for each day, which is very exciting! I love making gifts for other people but it’s fun to see what my parents give me too. Some things we give are gold coins called gelt, but children like me are given chocolate coins in gold wrappers.
These are some of the main things we do during Hanukkah. It’s a fun time to be with my family and friends, play games, open gifts, sing songs, and eat yummy food!