A New Tradition for Hanukah 5785: Chag HaBanot, A North African Hanukah Festival   

By Laurie B. Davis

Posted on Nov 20, 2024

Chag HaBanot, the festival of daughters, begins at sundown Monday, December 30 and ends at nightfall Tuesday, December 31. 

Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Jewish communities celebrate women’s honor and courage in a festival called Chag HaBanot (Eid Al B’nat in Judeo-Arabic), which translates as “Festival of the Daughters,” or Rosh Hodesh LaBanot in Hebrew. 

The specifics of the day vary from community to community, but the general customs are clear. Chag HaBanot is usually celebrated on the seventh day of Hanukah, the first day of the Hebrew month of Tevet. It is customary for women to sing, dance, and light the night’s menorah candles in honor of women. The festival focuses on bringing together generations of Jewish women—grandmothers, mothers, daughters, aunts, and sisters—to celebrate. In some communities, mothers give their daughters gifts and bridegrooms give gifts to their brides; women or girls who have drifted apart reconcile their differences and reignite their friendship. All these traditions were celebrated in the North African communities, particularly in Tunisia and on the island of Djerba. But there is evidence that it was also celebrated in Jewish communities in Libya, Algeria, Morocco and Thessaloniki.

Thoughts of Hanukah usually bring to mind the story of Hanukah that revolves around male heroes (the Maccabees). Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Jews, however, also observe Chag HaBanot, which celebrates the lesser-known contributions of women. Women’s bravery and sacrifice did not stop during the Hasmonean Era of the 2nd century BCE, but rather continued through the lives of our foremothers in the Middle East and North Africa. These stories have inspired generations of Jewish women. 

Among the many legends surrounding the Hanukah rebellion is a story known in Hebrew as Ma’ase ha-Isha ha-Yehudit (which translates as “the acts of the Jewish woman”), a colorful midrashic tale based on the Book of Judith. This version preserved by Sephardi Jews tells of a Jewish woman who beheaded the Selucid king, Aleforne (also known as Holofernes), to free Israel from foreign occupation. According to some traditions, the king’s soldiers found his decapitated body and responded, “A single Israelite woman has brought about this horror!” Judith demonstrated bravery and resilience; she was a woman who daringly tricked and killed the Syrian-Greek king through her cunning and desire to protect her people. 

Other stories about the origins of Hanukah reveal the tragedies faced by Jewish women at the hands of Israel’s enemies. The Megillat Antiochus tells of the atrocities committed by Greek Syrian soldiers, including the rape of the granddaughter of the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) on top of a Torah scroll and multiple instances of the martyrdom of mothers who refused to follow anti-Jewish laws prohibiting circumcision and Shabbat observance. Hannah suffered martyrdom along with her seven sons who were murdered rather than submitting to Hellenistic culture and religious values, according to II Maccabees (chapter 7). These tales of female heroism and suffering fill the pages of Jewish history, especially during the Maccabean revolt. 

Chag HaBanot honors Judith, as well as subsequent generations of strong Jewish women, and the vital role women play in Jewish life and in protecting our ancestral homeland. American Jewish feminists today (Ashkenazi as well as Sephardi and Mizrahi) are beginning to look to the MENA festival of Chag HaBanot for feminist inspiration. Chag Hanukah Sameach! 

Chag L’HaBanot Bjawia (Bjaouia)—Serves 8 

Bjawia is a Tunisian dessert that is prepared with roasted dried nuts which deliver all their aromas in a soft syrup to form a divine bite-size pastry filled with pistachios. 

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes  

Cuisine:  North African, Tunisian, Vegan, Vegetarian  

Author: Sabrina Gérard 

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup pistachios 
  • ½ cup walnuts 
  • ½ cup hazelnuts 
  • 1 cup almonds, blanched 
  • ¼ cup pine nuts 
  • 1½ cup caster sugar (Domino super fine sugar) 
  • ½ lemon 
  • 1 cup water 
  • Vegetable oil 
  • ½ cup finely crushed pistachios (for the decoration) 
  • 1 tablespoon rose water 

Equipment

  • Baking sheet 
  • Parchment paper 
  • Rolling pin 

Instructions

  1. Roast all the nuts separately, as the roasting time is not the same for each type of nut. 
  2. Also, roast the finely crushed pistachios separately. 
  3. Remove the skin from the roasted hazelnuts. 
  4. Roughly crush everything except the pine nuts, using a large knife or a rolling pin (especially not in the blender). 
  5. Put them in a large salad bowl. 

Syrup

  1. In a non-stick saucepan, cook the sugar with 1 cup of water and the juice of half a lemon, until thickened and a golden color is obtained. 
  2. To check the cooking, immerse the blade of a knife in a glass of cold water, take a little syrup with the knife, and plunge the blade into the glass of cold water. Slide a finger on the sugar. If a pearl that can be rolled between two fingers is formed, then the syrup is ready. 
  3. Pour the syrup and rose water on the dried fruits and mix vigorously with a spatula or wooden spoon. 
  4. Let cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
  5. Grease a sheet of parchment paper with oil and place on a baking sheet. 
  6. Grease the hands, then form a large ball with the mixture and place it on the parchment paper. 
  7. Place a second oiled sheet of parchment paper over and spread with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 1½ inch (4 cm). 
  8. Place the baking sheet in the fridge for a few minutes, then cut square or diamond shapes with a large, very sharp knife. 
  9. Sprinkle each serving with finely crushed pistachios. 

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