Hanukkah: the Jewish festival of lights

In short: Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish festival on which one more light is lit each evening. It commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BCE.

In more detail: Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev in the Jewish calendar and therefore usually falls in December, sometimes in late November. The Hebrew word means dedication.

In detail

• History: After the Maccabean revolt against the rule of the Seleucid Empire, the desecrated Temple was cleansed and rededicated.
• The miracle of the oil: According to tradition, only a small jar of pure oil was found for the Temple lamp, yet it burned for eight days.
• The candelabrum: The hanukkiah has eight branches and an extra place for the helper light, the shamash, which is used to light the others.
• More every evening: On the first evening one light burns, on the eighth all eight burn; blessings are said as they are lit.
• Light for all to see: The hanukkiah is traditionally placed in a window or by the door so that the miracle is publicly visible; many cities light large candelabra in public squares.
• Food: Foods fried in oil recall the miracle of the oil, such as potato pancakes (latkes) and jam-filled doughnuts (sufganiyot).
• Dreidel: Children play with a spinning top whose four Hebrew letters stand for “A great miracle happened there”.
• Place in the calendar: Hanukkah is a joyful family festival but not a major holy day; work and school are permitted on these days, and gifts for children have become customary in many places.
• Similarities: Like other festivals of light, Hanukkah falls in the dark time of year but has its own history and meaning (diwali-lichterfest, weihnachten-braeuche-und-geschichte).