Hanukkah

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is a Jewish eight-day festival that usually falls in December. It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in 164 BCE. The name Hanukkah means dedication.

Historically, after the Maccabees reclaimed the Temple, they sought to restore it for worship. According to tradition, they found only a small supply of consecrated oil sufficient for one day, yet the oil miraculously burned for eight days, allowing time to complete the rededication. This miracle is central to the celebration. The events are described in the Books of Maccabees in some Christian Bibles and in the deuterocanonical/apocryphal literature, rather than in the Hebrew Bible.

The central ritual of Hanukkah is the lighting of the hanukkiah, a nine-branched menorah. On each night, an additional candle is lit from left to right, with the shamash, a helper candle, used to light the others. Blessings are recited during the lighting. Traditional foods fried in oil, such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts), are commonly eaten. Other customs include playing dreidel, giving gelt (coins or chocolate coins), and, in many communities, public menorah lightings and school or community celebrations.

Hanukkah emphasizes themes of religious freedom, perseverance, and the rededication of the Temple. While it is a relatively minor religious festival in the Jewish liturgical calendar, it is widely observed in Jewish homes and communities around the world.