8 Hanukkah Menorahs Inspired by Nature Celebrate Jewish Festival of Lights

Celebrations

1st Night of Hanukkah is Tonite

Tonite Jews around the world light the first candle on the branched menorah candelabra. This Jewish holiday commemorates the miraculous victory of the Maccabees who were greatly outnumbered by the Greeks and the rededication of the Second Temple in the 2nd Century BCE. The first night of Chanukah is always the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar which usually falls sometime in mid-December. In a very rare occurance not to happen again in our lifetimes the first night last year fell on the earliest possible date at the end of November during Thanksgiving weekend.

Image by Joyful Jewish

The main custom associated with this religious celebration is lighting of the menorah on each of the eight nights of the holiday which is also called the Festival of Lights. So, I thought it would be fun to share eight beautiful functional and kosher menorahs -- also known as Hanukiah (singular), Hanukiot (plural) -- one for each of the eight nights of Chanukah. What makes a menorah kosher you may be wondering? The candle from which one lights must stand higher in its holder than the eight other candles as you'll see from each of the images below.

Moss & Ivy Menorah, DIY, DesignMegillah
What a clever and easy idea this is to make, by combining natural materials such as moss and ivy with a simple brass menorah. This is so simple, yet so elegant.

Image by DesignMegillah

Pomegranate Pottery Menorah by Michal Ben Yosef, $144, Gans
This menorah, constructed of individual pomegranate shaped vessels is a decidedly modern take on the traditional candelabra. It's still kosher since it includes the required single higher candle holder for the shamash (lighting candle). 

Image by Epicurious

Jay Strongwater Floral & Vine Menorah, $2,700, Neiman Marcus
This 12.75" tall lavish tree, vine & flower menorah is made in cast metal that has been handpainted with enamel and handset with sparkling Swarovski crystals. Made in USA

Image by Neiman Marcus

Moose Menorah, $119.99, Menorah.com
Here's a fun menorah that builds on the natural rack of antlers that male moose are known for.  It's crafted by hand from rustic metal and measures 15-1/2"h x 15"w.

Image by Menorah.com

Michael Aram Botanical Leaf Menorah, $199, Macy's
This exquisite menorah, part of a lovely Judaica collection, is nickel-plated and reaches up 14" from its white marble base.

Image by Macy's

Oversized Ice Menorah, Cornell University Chabad
Leave it up to Chabad to arrange for an outdoor carved ice menorah sculpture on this college campus in honor of Hanukkah. From the photo it appears to be over 6' tall.

Image by Chabad

Handpainted Ceramic Fish Menorah by artist Susan Garson
I love this Judaica art piece. As you can see it's a one-of-a-kind menorah in shaped like a fish evoking the story of Creation with the ocean waves forming the base and the moon and stars creating the candle holders and the multi-color fish in between.

Image by Madison Metro

Tree Branch Menorah, DIY, Martha Stewart
This menorah made from a branch painted silver is extremely beautiful in its simplicity with silver candles for a monochromatic look. Martha shows you how to make this easy craft on her site. 

Image by Martha Stewart

If you enjoyed this post, definitely visit this MBE blogpost, too
12 Beautiful DIY Menorah Crafts to Make With Kids

FTC Disclosure: I did not receive any payment or compensation for this post and opinions here are my own. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.