Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that is celebrated for 8 days, starting on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, which is usually in December. The word Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, means “dedication” and celebrates the Maccabees’ victory over the Seleucid Greeks in the second century BCE. The holiday is traditionally celebrated with the lighting of the menorah, games, and the eating of traditional foods like latkes and sufganiyot.
Hanukkah is a Jewish festival that celebrates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem. It is a relatively minor holiday in the Jewish calendar, but is nonetheless widely celebrated in Jewish households around the world by lighting the menorah for 8 nights, playing dreidel, and enjoying traditional Hanukkah foods.
The story goes that in the second century BCE, the Seleucid Greek ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes had banned the practice of Judaism, destroyed the Jewish temple, and erected an altar to Zeus in its place. A small band of Jews, led by a priest’s son named Judah Maccabee, rebelled against the Greeks and recaptured the temple. When Judah and his followers went to rededicate the temple after a long battle, they found only enough oil to light the menorah for one night. Although a miracle occurred and the oil lasted for 8 nights, allowing them to complete the dedication ceremony.
To commemorate this miracle, the Jews celebrate Hanukkah for 8 days with many different traditions. One of the main traditions is the lighting of a menorah – a decorative nine-branched candelabrum – for each of the eight nights of the holiday. A special candle, called the shamash, is lit every night and then all eight candles and the shamash are lit each night. The shamash is then used to light the other eight candles which are lit one by one every night, with the ninth branch of the menorah typically holding the shamash.
Another popular Hanukkah tradition is spinning the dreidel, which is a four-sided top that is inscribed with the Hebrew letters nun, gimel, hei, and shin. These letters refer to the phrase nes gadol haya sham, which means ‘a great miracle happened there’. The game is typically played by each player spinning the dreidel and collecting a designated ‘prize’ when it lands on one of the four letters.
The holiday is also typically accompanied by traditional Hanukkah foods like latkes – potato pancakes – and sufganiyot – jelly doughnuts – which are fried in oil to commemorate the miracle of the fraction of oil lasting 8 days. Lastly, it is customary to give and receive Hanukkah gifts, or gelt, on each of the 8 nights.
Hanukkah is an ancient celebration with deep spiritual and historical meaning, and one of the most joyous Jewish festivals of the year. It is a reminder of the Maccabees’ courage and faith in their struggle to rededicate the temple, and of the miracle of the oil lasting for 8 days. Today, it is celebrated around the world with candle-lighting, dreidel-spinning, eating delicious traditional foods, and exchanging gifts of love and appreciation.
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Last update 2023-11-27. Price and product availability may change.