Hanukkah
FestivalJewish
No rule yet
Nobody has written a rule for this observance yet, so the calendar does not put it on a day. A name with a made-up date beside it would be worse than a name on its own.
In short
Hanukkah is the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights. Its historical background lies in the second century BCE, when the Maccabees led a revolt against Seleucid rule and rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem after it had been profaned.
The story
Hanukkah is the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights. Its historical background lies in the second century BCE, when the Maccabees led a revolt against Seleucid rule and rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem after it had been profaned. Rabbinic tradition adds the famous account that only a small quantity of ritually pure oil remained for the Temple lamp, enough for one day, yet it burned for eight days until new oil could be prepared. The central home ritual therefore uses a special nine-branched lamp, the hanukkiah: one light is added on each of the eight nights, usually using a helper candle called the shamash. Blessings and songs accompany the lighting. Foods fried in oil, games with the dreidel and gifts or gelt developed as additional customs in various communities. Hanukkah combines historical memory of religious survival with the image of a small light continuing through darkness.
The historical rededication and the oil miracle belong to different layers of Jewish tradition: the Maccabean history describes the struggle and restoration of worship, while later rabbinic sources tell how one day's pure oil lasted eight nights. Families light the hanukkiah after nightfall, add one light each night, recite blessings and often enjoy oil-fried foods. Hanukkah begins on 25 Kislev in the Hebrew calendar and lasts eight days, so its civil dates vary annually.
In the second century BCE, Judea was ruled by the Seleucid dynasty, and conflict over worship and political control led to the Maccabean revolt. The Temple was rededicated after the rebels regained access to it. The Books of Maccabees preserve accounts of the struggle; the familiar eight-day oil miracle is emphasized in later rabbinic teaching. Remembering both layers prevents the later devotional story from being misrepresented as a contemporary battle report.
Why it matters
Recalls the rededication of Jerusalem's Temple and Jewish religious endurance, with the later oil miracle expressing hope through light.
What people do
Light an additional hanukkiah lamp each of eight nights with blessings, often visible to others; eat oil-fried foods and play dreidel.
Told differently elsewhere
Jewish communities worldwide from 25 Kislev for eight days; Hebrew calendar dates vary, and Ashkenazi and Sephardi foods differ.