How to Host a Hanukkah Party

Known as the “Festival of Lights,” it’s a celebration of the re-dedication of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. The Maccabees, the tribe that reclaimed the Temple from the Greeks, used a small amount of olive oil to light the menorah within. It was only meant to last for one day, but instead lasted for eight, which is why we light the menorah for eight nights on Hanukkah every year.

Now that we’ve got the history down, let’s get into a couple of the traditions. When you think of Hanukkah, there’s probably a specific game that comes to mind: dreidel. Dreidel was actually created to provide safety from religious persecution: during the Maccabean era (which is what the time in which Hanukkah came to be was called), the Greek King Antiochus outlawed Jewish worship in public. Practicing Jews walked around with dreidels, which they would spin and play, hiding their torah scrolls, whenever they feared they’d be uncovered.

Latkes! It’s a tradition that’s been maintained for over a thousand years and, as with the menorah, is intended to commemorate the oil (as latkes are fried in oil) that kept the temple lit for all eight nights thousands of years ago.

Hanukkah as a holiday is all about celebrating joy, resilience and light–and any party you host in its honor should reflect that festive sparkle.

Apart from the obvious–you’ll need a menorah!–be sure to dot your tablescape with plenty of candles. We love laying the table with this blue and white tablecloth from Couleur Nature and coordinating with these stunning ceramic candle holders from Carola Fra i Trulli. Our candles of choice? Twisted beeswax from Il Buco.

In terms of glassware, you can’t go wrong with these Ferm Living liqueur glasses. As far as what’s in them? We’ll get to that in a moment.

One of the many wonderful things about Jewish holiday celebrations is the way they center food (which, in turn, centers community through the process of both creating and then enjoying the associated meals). There’s the highly specific food of a Passover Seder; the breaking of the Yom Kippur fast with diary, and of course: the delicious Hanukkah latke. Our ultra crispy latke recipe can serve as the centerpiece of your Hanukkah meal.

As far as your entree goes, just be sure to avoid serving pork or mixing meat and dairy, in case any of your guests keep Kosher. We love serving crispy chicken cutlets, as a further homage to the oil that powered the holiday all those years ago.

Drinks-wise, you can go in any direction you’d like, but the Ferm Living glassware we mentioned above is practically tailor made to a Boulevardier.

As far as games go, why not enjoy a few rounds of Dreidel? Susan Alexandra has a fabulous painterly option that we love whipping out when the time comes each year. Just be sure to keep gelt on hand for rewarding the guests who win. We’re personally partial to the gelt that comes from Li-Lac chocolates.

And that’s all you need to host a fabulous Hanukkah party–Chag Sameach!