How to Celebrate the Seventh Night of Hanukkah

The eight nights of Hanukkah are a chance to celebrate the miracle of lights, enjoy tasty treats and honor Jewish traditions. Celebrate Hanukkah on the seventh night by reinforcing the rituals that have made the past six nights so special.

Instructions

1. Place fresh candles in your menorah. Some families have more than one menorah. The seventh night of Hanukkah is a good time to break out special kid-themed menorahs, menorahs given as wedding gifts or the bottle caps glued on a wooden board your children made during arts and crafts in Hebrew school.

2. Wait until about a half hour past sundown and light the candles. First light the shamash or lighting candle, and then light the candles from right to left. On the seventh night, all but the candle to the far left will be lit.

3. Say the first two Hanukkah prayers. If the seventh night of Hanukkah falls on Shabbat, do the Shabbat candles and prayers before you proceed to the Hanukkah candle lighting.

4. Enjoy some homemade donuts, or donuts purchased from a kosher supermarket. Like potato latkes and other fried foods, donuts are a Hanukkah treat because they are made in oil. The oil that burned for eight straight nights is the miracle of Hanukkah, so Jewish people forgo low-fat diets and indulge in oily food to celebrate this holiday.

5. Play games of dreidel and read Hanukkah storybooks. There are many Hanukkah children's books sure to delight the little ones, and teenagers and adults can enjoy more serious, philosophical discussion of this holiday. (See Resources below.)

6. Exchange gifts. The seventh night of Hanukkah is usually a time for small tokens akin to "stocking stuffers," but it is nice to throw in a bigger gift toward the end, especially if the end of Hanukkah is close to Christmas, when your kids' Christian friends will be bragging about what they found under the tree.

Resources

• For more information on Hanukkah.