What is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah (or the Festival of Lights) is a Jewish holiday celebrated in December every year. Many Jewish people see it as the equivalent of the Christian Christmas celebration, which they don't celebrate. It begins on a different date each year because the holiday is based on the Jewish calendar. Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of Kislev and ends on the 2nd or 3rd day of Tevet, depending on whether Kislev has 29 or 30 days that year. It lasts for eight days, because of the oil lamp that burned for eight days with only enough oil for one day.

History of Hanukkah

The holiday celebrates the Jewish triumph over the Seleucid Empire, which had tried to prevent the people from practicing their religion. Judah Maccabee and his brothers defeated the overwhelming forces, and then rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem. They cleansed the Temple, built a new altar, and lit the lamps. The dedication of the new alter went on for eight days, even though they only had enough oil to burn for one day. They lit the lights and a special menorah every night, and Hanukkah commemorates this miracle of the oil.

Many historians believe Hanukkah also celebrates the festival of Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles. While the Jews were fighting the empire, they couldn't properly celebrate Sukkot, which also lasts for eight days, and lighting lamps is a big part of the celebration, as well. Hanukkah is also a celebration of olives, and olives harvested in November would produce olive oil used in the celebration, which is another reference to the miracle of the oil.

Modern Hanukkah Traditions

Most Hanukkah traditions are home-based. Every night, a special lamp called a menorah is lit in a special procedure. Gifts are given each night of the holiday, and the children play with a special kind of top called a dreidel. The family members sing special songs, and they eat special foods, too. These foods commemorate the holiday, and many of them are deep-fried in reference to the oil lamp miracle in the Temple. These foods include latkes, jelly donuts, fried torzelli, spiced hot chocolate, and bimuelos.

Now you know what is Hanukkah and why it's so important to the Jewish religion.