Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday that celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The holiday commemorates the recovery of Jerusalem and the subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar, usually falling in late November or December. This year, the festival will start on Thursday, December 7, and end on Friday, December 15.
The primary ritual of Hanukkah is lighting the menorah, a nine-branched candelabrum. Each night, an additional candle is lit using the shamash (helper candle) until all eight candles are illuminated. This act symbolizes the enduring light of faith. Families often recite blessings and sing traditional songs during the lighting ceremony.
Hanukkah is also a time for celebration and family gatherings. Traditional foods like latkes —potato pancakes—and sufganiyot—jelly-filled doughnuts—are fried in oil. Children play games like dreidel, a four-sided spinning top inscribed with Hebrew letters, and receive gifts, which has become a more prominent practice in recent times, particularly in Western countries.
While Hanukkah is a minor holiday in religious terms compared to other Jewish festivals, it holds significant cultural importance. It represents themes of resilience, identity, and the triumph of light over darkness, offering a message of hope and the power of faith in the face of adversity.