Hanukkah Party Ideas

You’re on your way to enjoying a fantastic Hanukkah Party.

Hanukkah Party: The Festival of Lights

Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish celebration. When it comes to throwing a Hanukkah party, you can throw a large party with your extended family and friends one night and celebrate with your close family the rest of the nights. You could also enjoy the celebration only with your immediate family, or you could host a party all eight evenings! It’s up to you which and how many nights you want to celebrate. So grab your menorah, dreidel, and gifts and let’s talk Hanukkah party ideas!

Light the Menorah

First up is the decor for your party. It is traditional to decorate with the colors of blue, white, and silver; these are the traditional colors of Israel. Use these colors with the linens, streamers, balloons, or other decor items. Decorate the walls, tables, driveway, etc. You can also hang images of the Star of David, the religious symbol of the Jewish faith.

There are many other traditional items besides decor that are essential for any Hanukkah party. These include chocolate gelt, dreidels, and the menorah. Gelt is Yiddish for “money." The dreidel is a 4-sided top used for an ancient gambling game. On each of the dreidel’s sides is a Hebrew symbol: Nun, which means get nothing from the kitty; Gimel, get everything form the kitty; He, get half the kitty; and Shin, put half the money in the kitty. Whatever side the dreidel lands on is what you have to win or lose; you can play with money, gelt, or other candies. This traditional game is played at every Hanukkah celebration. The menorah, as most know, is the candelabra that holds the nine Hanukkah candles. The menorah has eight candles plus the shamas candle, which is the candle used to light the other eight on their respective nights.

Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel

There are a few traditional blessings and songs that you need to perform over the eight Hanukkah nights. The three blessings are the l’hadlik neir, she-asah nisim, and she-hekhianu. They are all general prayers; one over the candles, the next thanking God for the Hanukkah miracle, and the last thanking God for another year. There are also a few traditional songs, one of which is "Maoz Tzur" (Rock of Ages).

If you are having a more large scale party or want to have professional entertainment, you can hire a band or individual musician. Some of these options include Klezmer bands, accordion players, clarinetists, or other musicians. Hiring a professional musician or band alleviates you from the worry of not having appropriate music for the event.

Food and Gift Giving

Hanukkah has many traditional food dishes that you can prepare at home or have a Kosher caterer prepare for you. Most traditional dishes are fried, because the Hanukkah story involves one day’s worth of oil lasting for eight days. The main dish for Hanukkah is the latkes, which essentially a potato pancake fried in oil, and it’s generally served with applesauce. If you don’t want to go the potato route, it is possible to make them with fruit or vegetables. Another traditional item is sufganiyot; for those of you who don’t speak Hebrew, sufganiyot is a type of jelly doughnut.

It is tradition to give a gift on each of the eight nights. You can give a gift to those in your immediate family, have an exchange, or choose names to give gifts to. It is up to you how you choose to go about the gift giving. Generally, these gifts are rather inexpensive, so don’t go too extravagant. Also, since many games are played at Hanukkah in addition to Spin the Dreidel, be sure to have party gifts for the game winners. If you are inviting others over for your Hanukkah party, it is polite to have party favors for the guests as well.

Hopefully, these tips will help you host a fantastic Hanukkah celebration. If you need any help finding entertainment or services for the party, go to Gig Salad to find whatever it is that you need for the event.