Chocolate money
Encyclopedia
Hanukkah gelt refers to money as well as chocolate coins given to Jewish children on the festival of Hanukkah
. The word gelt means money in Yiddish. In addition to being given on Hanukkah, chocolate coins are a popular Christmas
present as well.
According to popular legend, it is linked to the miraculous victory of the Maccabees over the ancient Greeks. To celebrate their freedom, the Hasmoneans minted national coin
s. It may also have begun in 18th century Eastern Europe as a token of gratitude toward religious teachers, similar to the custom of tipping service people on Christmas. In 1958, the Bank of Israel
issued commemorative coins for use as Hanukka gelt. That year, the coin bore the image of the same menorah that appeared on Maccabean coins 2,000 years ago.
chocolatier
s picked up on the gift/coin concept by creating chocolate gelt. In the 1920s, Loft's
, an American candy company, produced the first chocolate gelt, wrapped in gold or silver foil in mesh pouches resembling money bag
s.
The candy companies that produced the first chocolate Hanukkah gelt may have been inspired by the chocolate coins
given to children as part of the St. Nicholas holiday
in Belgium and the Netherlands (geld, spelled with a d, being the Dutch
word for money). Today most of the chocolate Hanukkah gelt sold in the United States is imported from Israel
. The two major manufacturers are Elite
and Carmit. But, more recently, gourmet versions of chocolate gelt have been produced in the United States by companies like California-based Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates and Vermont-based Lake Champlain Chocolates
. In England, Divine Chocolates makes gourmet gelt.
with. In terms of actual gelt (money), parents and grandparents or other relatives may give sums of money as an official Hanukkah gift. According to a survey done in 2006, 74 percent of parents in Israel give their children Chanukah gelt.
In Hasidic communities, the Rebbe
s distribute coins to those who visit them during Hanukkah. Hasidic Jews consider this to be an auspicious blessing from the Rebbe, and a segulah for success. The amount is usually in small coins.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah , also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE...
. The word gelt means money in Yiddish. In addition to being given on Hanukkah, chocolate coins are a popular Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
present as well.
Money
Rabbi Abraham P. Bloch has written that “The tradition of giving money (Chanukah gelt) to children is of long standing. The custom had its origin in the seventeenth-century practice of Polish Jewry to give money to their small children for distribution to their teachers. In time, as children demanded their due, money was also given to children to keep for themselves. Teen-age boys soon came in for their share. According to Magen Avraham (18th cent.), it was the custom for poor yeshiva students to visit homes of Jewish benefactors who dispensed Chanukah money (Orach Chaim 670). The rabbis approved of the custom of giving money on Chanukah because it publicized the story of the miracle of the oil.”According to popular legend, it is linked to the miraculous victory of the Maccabees over the ancient Greeks. To celebrate their freedom, the Hasmoneans minted national coin
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
s. It may also have begun in 18th century Eastern Europe as a token of gratitude toward religious teachers, similar to the custom of tipping service people on Christmas. In 1958, the Bank of Israel
Bank of Israel
The Bank of Israel is the central bank of Israel. It is located in Kiryat HaMemshala in Israel's capital city of Jerusalem, with a branch office in Tel Aviv. The current governor is Stanley Fischer.-History:...
issued commemorative coins for use as Hanukka gelt. That year, the coin bore the image of the same menorah that appeared on Maccabean coins 2,000 years ago.
Chocolate
Twentieth-century AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chocolatier
Chocolatier
A chocolatier is someone who makes confectionery from chocolate. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients.Professional chocolatiers study topics including the following:...
s picked up on the gift/coin concept by creating chocolate gelt. In the 1920s, Loft's
Loft, Inc.
Loft, Inc. was the largest maker and seller of candy in the world in the second decade of the 20th century. It manufactured its own products and distributed them throughout greater New York and Newark, New Jersey. Happiness Candy Stores, Inc., was controlled by Loft, Inc...
, an American candy company, produced the first chocolate gelt, wrapped in gold or silver foil in mesh pouches resembling money bag
Money bag
A money bag is a bag of money used to hold and transport coins and banknotes from/to a mint, bank, ATM, milled, business, or other institution...
s.
The candy companies that produced the first chocolate Hanukkah gelt may have been inspired by the chocolate coins
given to children as part of the St. Nicholas holiday
Sinterklaas
Sinterklaas is a traditional Winter holiday figure still celebrated today in the Low Countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as French Flanders and Artois...
in Belgium and the Netherlands (geld, spelled with a d, being the Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
word for money). Today most of the chocolate Hanukkah gelt sold in the United States is imported from Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The two major manufacturers are Elite
Strauss-Elite
Strauss Group Ltd. formerly known as Strauss-Elite , is a food products manufacturer in Israel. It is the shared trademark of two companies - Strauss and Elite, that merged in 2004...
and Carmit. But, more recently, gourmet versions of chocolate gelt have been produced in the United States by companies like California-based Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates and Vermont-based Lake Champlain Chocolates
Lake Champlain Chocolates
Lake Champlain Chocolates is a privately held chocolate manufacturer located in Burlington, Vermont, USA. The company handcrafts over one million pounds of gourmet chocolates each year. Its products are sold nationally through independent specialty food retailers...
. In England, Divine Chocolates makes gourmet gelt.
Customs
Parents often give children chocolate gelt to play dreidelDreidel
A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top, played with during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.Each side of the dreidel bears a letter of the Hebrew alphabet:נ ,ג ,ה ,ש ,...
with. In terms of actual gelt (money), parents and grandparents or other relatives may give sums of money as an official Hanukkah gift. According to a survey done in 2006, 74 percent of parents in Israel give their children Chanukah gelt.
In Hasidic communities, the Rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...
s distribute coins to those who visit them during Hanukkah. Hasidic Jews consider this to be an auspicious blessing from the Rebbe, and a segulah for success. The amount is usually in small coins.