As the holidays approach, most of us will get ready to teach about all the joyous Christmas festivities that most Spanish-speakers celebrate. Lots of people will look at Spain’s Christmas lottery, sing Feliz Navidad y Cascabeles, talk about los Reyes Magos and learn about everything that goes with the season of Navidad. However, did you know that there are Spanish-speakers celebrating Hanukkah at the same time?
What is Hanukkah?
Hanukkah (or Janucá in Spanish!) is not a major holiday for the Jewish people, but it falls around the same time of year as Christmas, which is why it is probably the most well-known Jewish holiday. The very abbreviated Hanukkah story revolves around the destruction of a temple and finding enough oil to keep the synogauge’s lamp lit for eight days. Jewish families light the menorah each night for eight days in remembrance of this miracle.
Additionally, they celebrate with Latkes (potato pancakes), sufganyiot (jelly donuts), and dreidel, a traditional game played by spinning a top. Families also exchange gifts, similar to Christmas.
Which Spanish speaking countries celebrate Hanukkah?
While there are small populations of Jewish people in many Spanish speaking countries, Argentina and Mexico boast the largest concentrated population. This table, created in 2019 by the Jewish Virtual Library, shows others who celebrate Hanukkah in Spanish-speaking countries.
| Country | Jewish population |
| Argentina | 180,000 |
| Mexico | 40,000 |
| Chile | 18,300 |
| Uruguay | 16,600 |
| Spain | 11,700 |
| Panama | 10,000 |
| Venezuela | 7,000 |
| Costa Rica | 2,500 |
| Colombia | 2,100 |
| Peru | 1,900 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,500 |
| Paraguay | 1,000 |
| Guatemala | 900 |
| Ecuador | 600 |
| Cuba | 500 |
| Bolivia | 500 |
| Dominican Republic | 100 |
| El Salvador | 100 |
How can I teach about Hanukkah in Spanish class?
This reading activity talks about the origins of Hanukkah (Janucá), it’s traditions, and how it is celebrated in Argentina. I wrote it for my own Spanish I students, but it includes a version in English, Spanish, and a side-by-side bilingual version. It also includes reading questions in Google Docs formatting. It’s a quick and easy way to bring Hanukkah into your Spanish classroom! I would typically read this with my students after we spent a significant time talking about Christmas traditions that are more prevalent in the Spanish-speaking world.
Hanukkah songs in Spanish
One of the best parts of the holiday season is the music! This song, “Ocho Kandelikas,” is a Hannukah song in Ladino. Ladino is an ancient language that is a combination of Spanish and Hebrew. This video is great because it shows the lyrics and students will be able to see the similarities between the two languages.
There is also this version by Idina Menzel 🙂
Other Hanukkah traditions
Panama holds a menorah parade each year.
Dreidel
Dreidel is a game played during Hannukah. This video gives a great explanation in Spanish of how to play. It could make a great EdPuzzle or listening activity!
Should we teach holidays in school?
Yes. Teaching culture is a huge component in any Spanish class. Whenever you teach about holidays, it’s very important to preface the lesson by explaining the cultural significance. Language is about communicating with people, and so we need to teach our students cultural competency, as well as vocabulary and grammar.
As a Jewish Spanish teacher, who has never celebrated Christmas in my own life, I still taught about it, because it’s relevant to the culture of most Spanish-speakers. However, I never pretended to be an expert. I encouraged my students to jump in and share their own experiences and traditions. Many of my Jewish students were learning about Christmas for the first time as well, which was a really valuable cultural exchange. We created a safe space where everyone could ask questions and learn from each other.
After my class studied the traditions of Christmas in the Spanish-speaking world, we talked about Hanukkah in Spanish. This time my Jewish students had the opportunity to teach their non-Jewish classmates about their traditions.
