The informant grew up in New York in  Jewish household. Although they were not extremely devout in terms of observing every rule and tradition, Hanukkah was always a special time. His Grandmother is from Spain, and so when she moved to the United States, she took some Spanish Hanukkah traditions with her. One of these traditions is a Spanish Hanukkah song called “Ocho Candelas”. The lyrics are as follows:

Ocho candelas para mi,

Ocho candelas para ti,

uno! (candelita)

dos! (candelitas)

tres! (candelitas)

cuatro! (candelitas)

cinco! (candelitas)

seis! (candelitas)

siete! (candelitas)

ocho! (candelitas)

The informant learned it from his grandmother, who learned the song when she was in Spain. He has never heard it from anyone else in the United States. The fact that it has made the leap across the ocean with at least one family displays an interesting mix of Jewish and Spanish culture in the context of America.