Hanukkah

26 - December 31, Thursday – Tuesday

December 26, Thursday

Hanukkah
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Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday celebrated in November or December, depending on the Jewish lunar calendar. The holiday commemorates the miracle of the rebuilding of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by the Syrian-Greek forces during the Maccabean Revolt in the 2nd century BCE.
Following their victory, the Maccabees re-dedicated the temple but faced the problem of a shortage of sacred oil for the menorah lamp (the holy lamp) that was supposed to burn continuously. According to legend, the amount of oil found was only enough for one day, but it miraculously burned for eight days, the exact amount of time it took to make new sacred oil. This miracle became the central theme of Hanukkah.

The central ritual of Hanukkah is the lighting of the candles on the hanukkiah, a special eight-branched candelabrum with an additional ninth candle, called the shamash, which is used to light the others. Each night of Hanukkah, one new candle is lit. By the eighth night, all eight candles are lit.
This ritual symbolizes the miracle of the oil burning in the temple for eight days. People usually place the Hanukkah candle in a window or in a place where it can be seen to tell the world about the miracle.

The light of Hanukkah symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, spirituality over oppression. It is not only a memory of the miracle of oil, but also of the power of faith that helped the Jews preserve their identity.

Hanukkah

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