Hanukkah marks the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem after years of war and persecution. When the Holy Temple was regained, there was only a small amount of oil to light the menorah. Miraculously, it burned for eight days, until more oil arrived. Hence, fried foods are associated with the holiday. Japan celebrates New Year's with a seven-day festival that begins January 1.
Food is prepared ahead of time so that no cooking needs to be done during the festival.
Many families also eat mochi , a rice cake prepared by pounding rice into a sticky dough. It's traditional in Poland to eat carp on Christmas Eve. Czechs and Austrians also eat carp for the holiday. In the Czech Republic, the fish is prepared traditionally in aspic, in soup, fried and baked with prunes. Czechs also eat kolaches , sweet rolls filled with poppy seeds, dried fruit, nuts or sweetened cottage cheese.