Video: Learn about Hanukkah from Zachary the Traveler

The storytellers around the World Showcase during the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays celebrate diverse cultures. Near the L’Chaim food booth between Morocco and France is the stage where the retelling of Hanukkah story is explained.

Zachary the Traveler comes out to share stories, songs and traditions. We have watched this over the past few years and the stories have changed slightly. Learn about Hanukkah through song and stories.

“Hanukkah also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day celebration honoring the trials and tribulations faced by the Maccabees in Israel between 160 and 166 B.C.E. Named for their leader, Judah Maccabee, this small band of Jews stood p against a large army to reclaim the Second Temple from Selecid Empire,” according to the information near the stage.

“Following the battle, Judah led the Maccabees in cleansing the temple. They rebuilt the altar and lit the menorah, a seven-branded candelabra. However, they found only enough oil to last one night. Miraculously, the central light of the menorah remained lit for 8 days, allowing the Macabees to cleanse the temple and find more oil.

“Today, Jews around the world celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah with family, food and fun. At sundown on each night Hanukkah, families and communities light the Hanukkiah, a nine-branched menorah that represents the 8 days of light, with a central branch, called the shamash, that is used to light the others. People share a feast of foods cooked in oil, such as fried potato latkes, and exchange presents. They also play games with the dreidel, a four-sided top with Hebrew letters on it that come together to represent the phrase “a great miracle happened there.”