As one of the most well-known Jewish festivals, Hanukkah is celebrated around the world. Although it is often referred to as the Festival of Lights, many are unsure of why it is celebrated for 8 days. This article will discuss the why and how Hanukkah is celebrated around the world.
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Hanukkah history
The holiday celebrates the spiritual and military victory of the Maccabees over the Greek-Syrian armies in 166 BCE. According to the Talmud (the collection of Jewish law and tradition written in the 3rd to 5th centuries CE), when the Maccabean warriors attempted to rededicate the Temple in Jerusalem, they found only one day’s worth of oil for the menorah, the seven-branched candelabrum. Miraculously, it burned for eight days until new oil came. To commemorate the miracle of the oil and dedicate the victory, it is said that the Jewish people have observed the Festival of Lights — Hanukkah — for the past 2,100 years.
8 days of Hannukah
Each night of Hanukkah, a candle is added to the Hanukkah menorah, the candelabrum lit during the eight days of the Hanukkah celebration. By the end of the Hanukkah festivities, all of the candles in the menorah are lit. To celebrate the miracle of the oil, many families give gifts and some light a special menorah, or Hanukkia — a nine-branched candleholder in which an additional candle, or shammash, is placed. This candle is lit first and is used to light the additional eight candles, representing each night of the Festival. This is why there are 8 nights of Hanukkah- one for each of the candles in the menorah.
Celebrating Hanukkah
Throughout the eight days of Hanukkah, Jews remember the miracle of Hanukkah by eating special treats, singing songs, spinning dreidels, and playing games. Some families exchange gifts, especially on the last night.
What is a Dreidel?
The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top with four Hebrew letters on each side. The word “dreidel” comes from the Yiddish word for spinning top, and is sometimes also spelled as dreidl or dreydl. The game is purely for fun but has religious significance, since its letters stand for statements about Hanukkah. The four sides have four symbols: Nun, Gimmel, Hey, and Shin. Together they form an acronym for the words Nes Gadol Haya Sham, which means “A great miracle has happened there”. Those words refer to the miracle of the oil which happened in the Hanukkah story.
Hanukkah is an important holiday in the Jewish religion and it is celebrated in many homes secularly. The eight days and eight nights of celebration is a reminder of the eight days of oil that burned miracle in the Hanukkah story. While some families exchange gifts, many families gather for a meal each night of Hanukkah and play dreidel. The lighting of a special menorah, the Hanukkia, is also a common practice. Through these practices, families celebrate together and remember the miracle of Hanukkah.
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Last update 2023-11-27. Price and product availability may change.