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It is not clear when the holiday was first celebrated.
The holiday is linked to several events throughout Jewish history. The stories ofJudith, the mother of seven, and the daughter of theHigh Priest are directly linked to the story of Chanukah. Judith tricked and killed the invading generalHolofernes, allowing theMaccabees to get an upper hand.[4][5][6] The mother of seven, sometimes called Hannah or Miriam, was killed along with her seven sons by theSeleucids for refusing to give up her Jewish traditions.[7] The daughter of the High Priest (sometimes called Channah, daughter of Matiyahu) protested against the invading governor, who demanded that every young woman sleep with him the night before her wedding.[8] On the night of her wedding, as she was about to leave to go to governor's residence, she revealed her hair and body to onlookers and demanded that her brothers, the Maccabees, defend her if they were so appalled by her revealing herself, as she would have to reveal herself before the governor otherwise.[4][8] The brothers agreed, and the family approached the governor's residence with faux celebratory attitudes.[4][8] They were let into the residence, where the Maccabees then killed the governor.[4][8]
The holidayRosh Chodesh l'banot on 1stTevet, was preserved in Tunisia and the island ofDjerba[5] to which the Temple priests were exiled and which preserved many ancient traditions.[9][10] Many families who traditionally celebrated the holiday stopped after immigrating to Israel, but in recent years Israelis have shown more interest in reviving the holiday.[11] The holiday is also celebrated to an extent among Tunisian Jewish communities inFrance.[11]
Before the menorah candles are lit, apiyyut, or liturgical poem, will be sung.[4] In some communities, each candle lit on the menorah will be lit in honor of a specific woman or women; in others, an additional candle or candles might be lit in their honor.[8] After lighting the candles, the blessing "Mi Shebeirach Imoteinu" is recited.[4]
Women will gather to sing, dance, and eat food.[4][5][6][12] Foods for these gatherings may includebjawia,sfenj, sweetalmond balls, andcheese.[4][6][11][13] Some of these gatherings include a presentation of all thebat mitzvah girls from the last year.[4] In some communities women would visitsynagogues, where they kissedTorah scrolls, prayed for their daughters' health, and were blessed by therabbi.[4][6][12] Women were sometimes expected to reconcile conflicts with each other on this day.[6][12]
Mothers give gifts to their daughters, and husbands give gifts to their wives.[6][13] Historically, these gifts from families to their daughters were used to build up the daughter'sdowry.[11]
