"Home for the Haggadah" this Advent ~ an at-home (or church) special meal and celebration; plus resources for teaching about Hanukkah

"Knock knock."
"Who's there?"
"Hagga"
"Hagga" who?
"Ha-gga-dah new idea for Advent this year!"

This topic kicks off with some background and ideas about an at-home Advent ritual story-telling (Haggadah) meal. The post below this one has the "Haggadah" script. You are welcome to add your thoughts and suggestions about the topic.

Introducing "Haggadah" into our Homes This Advent

This resource was originally created as an "at home" celebration for use during the COVID pandemic that severely impacted Advent celebrations in church. But as you will soon read, they are also great ideas for ANY Advent!

bluarro The "Home for the Haggadah" event described below brings the light of Advent into the home in a special way using elements from the Festival of Light known as Hannukah. It can either be a nice break from the same-old traditions or an altogether new one for your church and families.

"Haggadah" is the ritual "retelling of a story" most often associated with the Jewish faith. However, Advent is a Haggadah, as is the retelling of the stories of Holy Week. The most famous "Haggadah" is the story of Passover. But there's another called "Hannukah" whose theme of LIGHT is similar to that of Advent.

Like most Sunday School teachers, I've done Passover Seders to teach the Exodus story. I've even helped write Seder lessons here at Rotation.org. Here's a Last Supper Seder lesson, one that uses the Seder format to retell the story of the Cross, and some Seder ideas in our public forum Seder posts.

Most of us have never done anything with Hanukkah for two reasons:

(1) Hanukkah happens at the SAME TIME as Advent

and (2) the story comes from the "Apocrypha," a part of the Bible that Protestants respect but don't consider canon and don't teach in Sunday School.

AND YET... here's Hanukkah the "Festival of Light" celebrated at home with traditional foods and candles RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of Advent, the "Season of Light".

"Haggadah"

"Haggadah" is the Hebrew word for "storytelling." In Jewish rabbinic writings (The Talmud), "haggadah" is what they call the Passover Seder (a meal centered around the telling of the Exodus story). But technically speaking, Hanukkah and Advent are "haggadahs" too, as is the Lord's Supper and Holy Week itself because they are special times when we retell a special story with special scriptures, rituals, foods, and singing.

Though it's a Hebrew word, the concept of "haggadah" is not unique to Judaism or Christianity. Ritual meals and storytelling are found across cultures and throughout history wherever human beings hunger for community and religious meaning. From campfires to Stonehenge, in great Cathedrals and around your dining room table, we create special places and events to tell our most special stories -- the stories of where we come from, who we are, and to whom we belong, and where we are going.

The Hanukkah "Haggadah" (storytelling)

Also known as the "Festival of Dedication" or "Festival of Lights," Hanukkah means "dedication" or "consecration" in Hebrew. The Festival of Hanukkah celebrates the story of the Jewish Maccabean revolt and triumph over their Greek oppressors and rededication of the Jewish Temple in the 2nd Century B.C. Part of the story recalls the miraculous sacred oil that didn't run out during the Temple dedication. To remember the story, celebrants light eight candles over eight nights, give gifts, and feast on traditional foods many of which are fried in oil (rich foods populate Advent celebrations too).

Hanukkah candles are lit

There are obvious thematic parallels between Hanukkah and Advent, such as candles and light (light coming into the world, Jn 1), gift-giving, dedication, and feasting are serendipitously coincidental. Hanukkah's date was set by 1 Maccabees 4:36-52, whereas the nearby date of Christmas' was set by a 4th century A.D. Pope. Advent is "worship-centric" while Hanukkah has no special service.

The following YouTube video has an excellent explanation of Hanukkah, how Jews typically celebrate it, and how Christians can adapt its common themes. https://youtu.be/MfZG8lQm3RM

In the following posts, I'm going to suggest an at-home Advent Haggadah that draws on practices found in both the Seder and Hanukkah celebrations to create a fun ritual retelling of the Advent story for families to share at home. It will include traditional foods of course, and it includes Advent candles rather than a Menorah. The story of the Maccabees isn't part of it either, just some of the home-use ideas.

You might even call it: