Ocho Kandelikas

"Ocho Kandelikas" (English, Eight Little Candles) is a Jewish song celebrating the holiday of Hanukkah. The song is sung in Ladino, a Spanish-derived language traditionally associated with the Sephardic Jewish community, whose ancestors lived in Spain before the 15th century CE.^[1] The song is often performed in an Argentine tango-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 in 1983.^[2] The lyrics of the song describes a child's joy of lighting the candles on the menorah. The song has been recorded and performed by the Portland-based lounge orchestra Pink Martini, the multilingual rock group Hip Hop Hoodios and the female a cappella ensemble Vocolot.

References

1. ^ "Jewish Virtual Library - Sephardim". http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Sephardim.html. Retrieved 2011-03-15. 
2. ^ "Tablet Mag - Ocho Kandelikas". http://www.tabletmag.com/podcasts/3184/ocho-kandelikas/. Retrieved 2011-03-15.