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bearshorty) wrote2009-12-11 11:10 pm
bearshorty) wrote2009-12-11 11:10 pm
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24 Kislev/11 December, 2009
It’s the first night of Hanukkah! Happy Hanukkah!
Hanukkah is a really minor holiday that just celebrates a historical event of Jews winning over oppressing Greeks (well, Hellenists) and getting the Temple purified again and it was really a delayed harvest festival that was postponed because of rebellion, but because it is usually in December and close to Christmas it has gained a disproportionate significance. It is pretty, though, with eight days of candle lighting and there is oily food and presents sometimes.
My first awareness of Hanukkah was when I might have been around 11 or 12. My babushka Tanya went to a celebration (she believed that every religion, whether Christian or Jewish, celebrated the same one god, so she mixed all kinds of religious celebrations) and she brought back an envelope with a sealed lucky coin in it for me. It said “Chanukkah” in Russian on the envelope. I learned more about it in America. When I was fifteen I asked my parents for a Star of David necklace for the holiday and they got me my necklace that I always wear. I was not expecting it to be fancy or pretty. But it is beautiful and such a part of me now. In college, I got the candles and a basic menorah at Chabad table in Student Union and started lighting them. I even had to get special permission from RA because we were not allowed to burn candles in the dorm. I had to watch them all the time. I love to turn off all other lights and just watch them. In grad school I got the electric one because of grad dorm regulations but I much prefer regular candles. And now I can read the blessings in actual Hebrew. Goal for next year is to understand what I’m reading.
.
My favorite part of the holiday is that it is an excuse to make potato pancakes and eat a bunch of nice oily pancakes with sour cream (and eat them with my hands too like we always did when I was a child). Draniki (a belorussian word for potato pancakes) are probably my favorite food of all time, if done right. American flour is not the same but it is still delicious. I even like helping to make them by peeling all potatoes and grating them; my arm feels so tired after all the grating but it is so worth it. Mama made the actual pancakes since she is an expert. She doesn’t use measurements or recipe; she just mixes flour and potatoes with egg on sight.
ITunes has a free Christmas album that is actually pretty good for its variety. It even includes Stephen Colbert’s “Another Christmas Song.” I did feel a bit guilty about listening to some songs about Jesus but I just pass it off as cultural and anthropological experience. Besides I did listened to “Chanukah song” a bunch of times. Neil Diamond did a cover of Adam Sandler’s song actually, although he change some words to point out that Jesus was jewish too and set his song to cartoon music video .
To compensate for all Christmas songs I also bought Barenaked Ladies’ “Hanukah O Hanukah” and Alisa Fineman’s version of “Ocho Kandelikas” on iTunes. I never heard the latter song before or at least I don’t remember that I did. It is in Ladino (Spanish/Hebrew mix – like Yiddish for Ashkenazi Jews, Ladino is for Sephardic ones). The melody is very catching. The song is quiet recent but fun. I also discovered that Papa actually has a Hanukkah songs CD. So I am just getting in holiday spirit.
Dollhouse S2 E7-8. Damn you Fox! Another two fabulous, awesome episodes with twists and twists and twists. And now that Echo is a more realized person, she is interesting and can carry episodes. I like how Echo can just pull up personalities by just thinking about them. We get big developments towards “Epitaph One” technology and apocalypse; and Adele, just as we start to love you as a lesser bad guy, why did you have to go and double cross Topher and release that technology to the world just to gain power. And knowing where it is all heading. Adele and Topher scenes in episode 7 were wonderful. Alpha episode was also excellent; his plan was clever and all the twists were interesting. I didn’t even realize he was aiming for Ballard the whole time. And poor Ballard, I have to remind myself that he was walking around in the future. Still he could be imprinted now, then. And Alpha has his personality in him now, which should be interesting. And he is the least effective character usually. I also liked the randomness of Victor and Sierra just making out when in their scientist imprints and Topher zapping them.
Hanukkah is a really minor holiday that just celebrates a historical event of Jews winning over oppressing Greeks (well, Hellenists) and getting the Temple purified again and it was really a delayed harvest festival that was postponed because of rebellion, but because it is usually in December and close to Christmas it has gained a disproportionate significance. It is pretty, though, with eight days of candle lighting and there is oily food and presents sometimes.
My first awareness of Hanukkah was when I might have been around 11 or 12. My babushka Tanya went to a celebration (she believed that every religion, whether Christian or Jewish, celebrated the same one god, so she mixed all kinds of religious celebrations) and she brought back an envelope with a sealed lucky coin in it for me. It said “Chanukkah” in Russian on the envelope. I learned more about it in America. When I was fifteen I asked my parents for a Star of David necklace for the holiday and they got me my necklace that I always wear. I was not expecting it to be fancy or pretty. But it is beautiful and such a part of me now. In college, I got the candles and a basic menorah at Chabad table in Student Union and started lighting them. I even had to get special permission from RA because we were not allowed to burn candles in the dorm. I had to watch them all the time. I love to turn off all other lights and just watch them. In grad school I got the electric one because of grad dorm regulations but I much prefer regular candles. And now I can read the blessings in actual Hebrew. Goal for next year is to understand what I’m reading.
.
My favorite part of the holiday is that it is an excuse to make potato pancakes and eat a bunch of nice oily pancakes with sour cream (and eat them with my hands too like we always did when I was a child). Draniki (a belorussian word for potato pancakes) are probably my favorite food of all time, if done right. American flour is not the same but it is still delicious. I even like helping to make them by peeling all potatoes and grating them; my arm feels so tired after all the grating but it is so worth it. Mama made the actual pancakes since she is an expert. She doesn’t use measurements or recipe; she just mixes flour and potatoes with egg on sight.
ITunes has a free Christmas album that is actually pretty good for its variety. It even includes Stephen Colbert’s “Another Christmas Song.” I did feel a bit guilty about listening to some songs about Jesus but I just pass it off as cultural and anthropological experience. Besides I did listened to “Chanukah song” a bunch of times. Neil Diamond did a cover of Adam Sandler’s song actually, although he change some words to point out that Jesus was jewish too and set his song to cartoon music video .
To compensate for all Christmas songs I also bought Barenaked Ladies’ “Hanukah O Hanukah” and Alisa Fineman’s version of “Ocho Kandelikas” on iTunes. I never heard the latter song before or at least I don’t remember that I did. It is in Ladino (Spanish/Hebrew mix – like Yiddish for Ashkenazi Jews, Ladino is for Sephardic ones). The melody is very catching. The song is quiet recent but fun. I also discovered that Papa actually has a Hanukkah songs CD. So I am just getting in holiday spirit.
Dollhouse S2 E7-8. Damn you Fox! Another two fabulous, awesome episodes with twists and twists and twists. And now that Echo is a more realized person, she is interesting and can carry episodes. I like how Echo can just pull up personalities by just thinking about them. We get big developments towards “Epitaph One” technology and apocalypse; and Adele, just as we start to love you as a lesser bad guy, why did you have to go and double cross Topher and release that technology to the world just to gain power. And knowing where it is all heading. Adele and Topher scenes in episode 7 were wonderful. Alpha episode was also excellent; his plan was clever and all the twists were interesting. I didn’t even realize he was aiming for Ballard the whole time. And poor Ballard, I have to remind myself that he was walking around in the future. Still he could be imprinted now, then. And Alpha has his personality in him now, which should be interesting. And he is the least effective character usually. I also liked the randomness of Victor and Sierra just making out when in their scientist imprints and Topher zapping them.