The holiday season is once more upon us, and we know what THAT means: opportunities! If you design with BookBolt and publish on Amazon KDP, those opportunities explode around this time of year. And with so many cultures and faiths celebrating around the end of the standard calendar year, your choices are boundless. But for right now, we will be focusing on just one of them and the cultural legends around it. Today, we are talking about Hanukkah and items of potential interest to those who celebrate it.
The History and Traditions of Hanukkah
Falling on December 18th-26th of 2022, Hanukkah is the global celebration of the story of how ancient Jewish people fought against the Seleucid Empire in the second century BCE, recovered Jerusalem, and re-dedicated what they called the Second Temple.
It is also commonly known as the “Festival of Lights”. Once they overcame these enemies, they returned to the Temple where they discovered only one jar of pure oil, which could only be used for one day. Nevertheless, according to the legend, they used it to light the necessary set of lamps for eight days until they were able to press olives and produce more pure oil. Due to this, the sages of that time decreed that the eight days should be honored as days of celebration and worship.
Beginning on the Hebrew calendar’s 25th day of Kislev, which can fall any time between late November and late December in the Gregorian calendar, Hanukkah is thus commemorated for eight nights and days. Lighting the candles on a candelabrum with nine branches, also known as a menorah or Hanukkah, is how the event is honored. Usually, one branch is positioned above or below the others, and its candle is lit before the other eight candles are lit. This shammash candle is a special type of candle. The shammash lights one more candle every night until the festival’s last night, when all eight candles are lit simultaneously.
When lighting the lamps during this eight-day event, two blessings are typically recited. There are three blessings total, with the addition of the shehecheyanu blessing on the first night only. Depending on custom, the blessings are said either before or after the candles are lit. On the first night of Hanukkah, one light (oil or candle) is lit on the menorah’s right side. On the following night, a second light is placed to the left of the first, but it is lit first, and so on. Over the course of the eight nights, candles are placed from right to left but lit from left to right.
Hanukkah Today
Other Hanukkah celebrations involve singing Hanukkah carols, playing the dreidel game, and eating dairy and oil-based dishes like latkes. Since the 1970s, public menorah lightings have been organized by the global Chabad Hasidic organization in numerous nations. Since it does not carry the corresponding requirements and was originally established as a feast, it is only a minor religious holiday. Nevertheless, because Hanukkah frequently falls during the holiday season at the same time as Christmas, it has grown significantly in cultural relevance in North America and internationally, particularly among secular Jews.
Given the rich history of this holiday, what do we, as POD creators, offer the masses from our stores? Let’s have a look at some of the offerings already out there to gain inspiration from and expand the knowledge and importance of this tradition.
Hanukkah Cookbook: Favorite Jewish Holiday Recipe Book: (90-Blank Recipe Entries in a Custom Cookbook)
What better way to celebrate such an event than by giving its celebrants a place to put down family recipes for everything they wish to make each year at this time. And to be able to share and receive new methods of preparing holiday meals and snacks. The ability to do it all by hand, the way it was always done, just adds that amazing tactile “realness” to it all. A beautiful thing to have and to even pass down.
There is a spot on the title page for the owner’s name. The book has 90 unique recipe spaces on double-sided sheets, providing your customers plenty of space for all the details of their favorite recipes. It also has six table of contents pages with page numbers for simple management. This present is ideal for any occasion requiring gifts, including Balabusta, Bat mitzvah, Bar mitzvah, and any other occasions.
Hanukkah Activity Book For Kids
Let’s introduce children to the wonderful holiday with the help of items like this Hanukkah activity book. In addition to the more than 100 pages of engaging activities, there are also intriguing dinosaur facts just waiting to be learned (hey, why not?)
The Hanukkah Activity Book is a collection of engaging games and interactive skill exercises that encourage youngsters to think critically and creatively. It includes creative activities like coloring, word searches, hidden object hunts, mazes, symmetry games, matching, and many more. Keep your children occupied, amused, and having fun while they are learning. With the aid of this gift book that is perfect for young hands, let your children enjoy Hanukkah.
The Story of Hanukkah
Hanukkah is a great holiday that is celebrated with food, games, and family. As we mentioned, it also commemorates an old miracle, and both children and adults can take part in sharing and recalling the miracle’s tale during the holiday.
In this excellent book for the holiday, simple but dramatic language retells the tale of the valiant Maccabees, and vivid illustrations of the fight, the Temple of Jerusalem, and the oil that miraculously burned for eight long nights are included. And as an added bonus, for those who want to continue the celebrations at home, there is a traditional recipe for latkes as well as guidelines for the dreidel game! A nice touch to something meant to be shared.
Hanukkah Notebook Interior for KDP
A perfect match for doing lo to no content KDP books, here is a well laid-out section of interiors for such items! Get it printed for personal use at home, or use it online for sales and small businesses. For commercial use, some alteration is preferred, but you can use these unmodified to get started. The files are 6×9 in size, customizable, and available in PDF and PNG formats.
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This is just a tiny sampling of what kinds of things are out there currently, and the sales world is waiting for you to add you own individual designs to the fold. It is also important to note that in Amazon KDP, both Hebrew and Yiddish languages are supported in print form, so this give you other options when creating your own designs and products for sale at this time. Happy holidays!
