The History of Hanukkah

It’s the season of celebrations, and, for many people, Hanukkah is at hand! This traditional Jewish holiday, also known as the Festival of Lights, is celebrated by millions around the world, and it’s a great way to teach your child about celebrations in other cultures.

Like Christmas, Hanukkah celebrates and commemorates events which happened a long time ago in Jerusalem. Around 200 BCE, Jews in the land of Israel were under the rule of the Syrian king, but were still allowed to follow their own religious beliefs. However, a new king named Antiochus IV came to power. Antiochus forbade the Jews from practicing their religion, killed many of them, and desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem by placing an altar to the Greek god Zeus inside it.
Mattathias, a Jewish priest, objected to the cruel edicts of Antiochus, and along with his five sons Jochanan, Simeon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and Judah, he decided to fight back. Led by Judah (known as “The Hammer”), they led the Jewish people in a revolt, using clever strategy and guerrilla-style warfare to defeat Antiochus’ much larger army.
Flush with victory, the Jews returned to find their Temple dirty and desecrated, with pots of consecrated olive oil broken everywhere. Working together, they cleaned and rededicated the Temple (“Hanukkah” means “dedication” in Hebrew). They lit the holy fire in the Temple menorah (a many-branched candelabrum and symbol of Judaism). However, although the flame was supposed to burn continuously, they were dismayed to find that there was only enough oil to fuel the flame for one day! Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight full days, and gave the Jews time to properly prepare more oil. This is often referred to as the miracle of Hanukkah.
Since then, Jews the world over have celebrated this occasion by lighting the Hanukkah candles in a menorah over the course of eight days. Starting with one candle on the first night, and ending with eight on the eighth, the ceremony involves the saying or singing of a blessing while the candles are lit by the helper candle, or “shamash.” Traditionally, the illuminated menorah is placed in windows so that passerby may be reminded of the Hanukkah story.
Since the holiday is, in some way, a celebration of oil, the practice of eating food fried in oil, such as potato latkes and jelly donuts, is a major part of the holiday. Also included in the festivities is the traditional game of dreidel and the giving of “gelt,” or money, to children.
No matter what holidays you and your family celebrate, there’s always room for learning. So introduce your child to new customs and cultures this holiday season by frying up a few latkes, spinning the dreidel, or just talking and learning  about the meaning behind the holiday! Until next time, keep it clean! :)

Roller Derby: A History!

     Here at Azuma, we don't just support healthy living, being active, and laundry - we also support all things local! Roller Derby was brought back to life by a group of ladies in Austin. I personally, have a newfound obsession with Roller Derby and want to get involved, so I felt the need to post about it today! Here goes :) 

     Roller Derby history beings in the 1880s, though the official term "roller derby" wasn't used until 1922, when the Chicago Tribune used the term to describe flat-track roller skating races held at Chicago's Broadway Armory. "Roller Derby" became trademarked by Leo Seltzer, the man credited with revolutionizing roller derby and securing its place as a legitimate sport.

     Although roller skating and roller skating races were taking place well before Leo Seltzer came onto the scene, he took a sport with fledgling popularity and turned it into a nationwide phenomenon. In 1935 Seltzer, the owner of several Oregon cinemas, was tired of losing business to dance marathons, which were quite popular at the time. Reading an article that stated that 93% of Americans had tried roller skating, he created the Transcontinental Roller Derby, which featured teams racing the equivalent of the distance from New York to California, or 3,000 miles-all over a flat track. Roller derby history demonstrates that each team had to have at least on member on the track at all times. Following the success of his first race, Seltzer took the troupe on the road and eventually selected teams that would compete in Chicago, Miami, Louisville and Detroit.

     It was at one of these races in roller derby history, in Miami, that sportswriter Damon Runyon saw the marketing potential in the large collisions and other physical contact that occurred as teams tried to pass each other. He approached Seltzer and suggested he change the rules of the game to maximize the physical contact between the skaters, which included elbowing, "whipping" and slamming each other into the track's outer rail. Though Seltzer resisted the idea at first, he decided to experiment with the changes and found that the fans loved them.

     Seltzer trademarked the name Roller Derby and took his troupe on the road. After a brief lull in popularity during World War II when many competitors joined the Armed Forces and the fans had other things on their mind, Roller Derby received a huge boost when it began being broadcast on CBS. Roller Derby saw many highs and lows over the next 30 years, but by the mid-1970s, it had collapsed. Roller Derby history then underwent several professional, on-and-off TV revivals which were spearheaded by veteran skaters, including a 10-year International Roller Skating League (IRSL), and a few short-lived, TV-only spectacles.

     Today Roller Derby has been revived by a group of women who have returned the sport to its original athletic roots. In 2001 Bad Girl Good Woman Productions (BGGW) was formed and creates the first all-girl roller derby game of the new generation. Founders form four teams and, a year later, stage their first bout during the summer of 2002 in Austin, Texas. Shortly after, the league later suffers a split over business plans. In 2002 The Texas Rollergirls are formed from members of the first BGGW teams. The BGGW league (also known as the Lonestar Rollergirls or Texas Roller Derby) go on to skate banked-track roller derby, while the new Texas Rollergirls embrace the flat-track format. It is now an international sport that provides equal amounts of entertainment and athleticism to its viewers. Until next time, keep it clean! :)