One of the best ways to celebrate Hanukkah is to sing Hanukkah songs. Participation is always more fun than simply listening to the music.

There are many traditional Hanukkah songs, and some of these are available for listening on the Web or for downloading. Some are in Hebrew, others in English.

Chabad.org has a page devoted to Hanukkah. The most important Hanukkah songs are there. This includes a wonderful version of Haneirot Halalu sung by Avraham Fried. The songs are not available for download but may be played on the site. The words in Hebrew with english transliteration and an English translation can be viewed while listening to the music. Other songs on the site are found in Chanukah's Greatest Hits which includes the traditional main Hanukkah songs including the candle-lighting blessings, Maoz Tsur, Hanuka oh Hanuka, Sevivon. Some are sung in Hebrew and English.

eMusic allows downloads of a variety of Hanukkah songs. A free trial allows for the download of 25 songs, which should be enough to feast on some very interesting Hanukkah music.

Amongst the selection available is the Festival of Light Volume 2. It includes a number of original Hanukkah songs performed by a variety of artists.

What came as a big surprise was the fact that Woody Guthrie had penned a number of Hanukkah songs. Although he wasn't Jewish, his wife was, and Guthrie's songs are all about latkes, dreidles and gelt. Twelve songs have been released on an album by the Klesmatics on Woody Guthrie's Happy Joyous Hannukah.

Unfortunately, the eMusic offering is not available in all countries because of copyright restrictions.

Midi files containing the tunes of 34 Hanukkah songs can be downloaded from the Hanukkah music page. This will provide a backing for you to sing along with family and friends.

Hanukkah Music for Kids has a huge range of Hanukkah music by a wide variety of artists. These may be ordered from the website which unfortunately does not offer downloads.

Hebrew Songs offers ready to print lyrics for many Hanukkah songs from its site and links to other sites. This is an ideal choice for a Hanukkah party where everyone can join in and sing along - as mentioned earlier, perhaps the best way to enjoy Hanukkah.

Another pay-to-download site that has a variety of Hanukkah songs is Songs for Teaching. The songs and a Hanukkah album that includes the words.

Finally, Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song can be seen on You Tube. There are many links containing the different versions. Just search for Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song to find links to all three parts. As he says, there are many Christmas songs but growing up as a kid he never heard any Hanukkah songs.

Learn more about this author, Barry Marcus.
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