Hanukkah
Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, celebrated with the nightly lighting of a special candelabra called a menorah.
Commemorating a small quantity of oil that reportedly burned for eight days instead of the expected one, this holiday's central ritual has come to symbolize resilience and the triumph of light over darkness.
Commemorating an Ancient Rededication
Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem following a successful Jewish revolt against Greek Seleucid rule in the 2nd century BCE.
The Miracle of the Oil
According to tradition, a small amount of ritually pure oil, expected to last only one day, miraculously burned for eight days during the temple's rededication, the origin of the holiday's eight-day length.
Lighting the Menorah
The holiday's central ritual involves lighting an additional candle on a nine-branched candelabra called a menorah each night, gradually illuminating all eight candles by the holiday's conclusion.
Games and Traditional Foods
Hanukkah celebrations often include playing with a spinning top called a dreidel and eating foods fried in oil, symbolically connecting to the holiday's central miracle.
