"Ocho Kandelikas" is a Jewish song celebrating the holiday of Hanukkah

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 song is sung in Ladino, a Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

-derived language traditionally associated with the Sephardic Jewish community, whose ancestors lived in Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 before the 15th century CE. The song is often performed in an Argentine tango

Tango music

Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...

-rhythm with accompanying accordion and violins. Despite its traditional-sounding tone, "Ocho Kandelikas" is a modern composition, written by the Jewish-American composer Flory Jagoda

Flory Jagoda

Flory Jagoda is a Jewish American and Bosnian guitarist, composer and singer. She is known for her interpretation of Ladino songs.-Biography:...

 in 1983. The lyrics of the song describes a child's joy of lighting the candles on the menorah

Menorah

The menorah is described in the Bible as the seven-branched ancient lampstand made of gold and used in the portable sanctuary set up by Moses in the wilderness and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. Fresh olive oil of the purest quality was burned daily to light its lamps...

. The song has been recorded and performed by the Portland-based lounge orchestra Pink Martini

Pink Martini

Pink Martini is a 13-member "little orchestra" from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1994 by pianist Thomas M. Lauderdale. They draw inspiration from music from all over the world – crossing genres of classical, jazz and old-fashioned pop.-History:...

, the multilingual rock group Hip Hop Hoodios

Hip Hop Hoodíos

The Hip Hop Hoodíos are a multilingual rock en español/alternative rock and hip hop band. They are composed of Josué Noriega , Abraham Vélez, and Federico Fong...

 and the female a cappella ensemble Vocolot

Vocolot

Vocolot is a contemporary Jewish women's a cappella ensemble based in California consisting of Elizabeth Stuart, Julia Bordenaro, Shana Levy, and director Linda Hirschhorn, founded in 1988. The group performs original compositions and arrangements of traditional Jewish, folk, and world-music songs...

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