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- Today Hanukkah is celebrated on the 25th day of Kislev (the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar), which typically falls in late November to mid-December. For eight nights, candles are lit in a menorah, a candelabrum with spaces for nine candles—one for each night plus a “servant” candle called the shamash (shammes in Yiddish).
www.nationalgeographic.com › history › articleHanukkah: The history and traditions of the Festival of Lights
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Hanukkah (Chanukah), the Jewish eight-day “festival of lights” is celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting--adding a flame each night--special prayers, dreidel playing, and fried foods. 227 Comments. Chanukah Basics. 13 Hanukkah Facts Every Jew Should Know. Hanukkah Prayers: How to Say the Menorah Blessings. Hanukkah 2024 FAQ. Chanukah Q&A.
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- Overview
- Origin and history
Hanukkah is a Jewish festival that reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and commemorates in particular the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem by the lighting of candles on each day of the festival. Although not mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, Hanukkah came to be widely celebrated and remains one of the most popular Jewish religious observances.
Where is Hanukkah celebrated?
Hanukkah is celebrated around the world, wherever there are Jewish people. In Israel Hanukkah is a national holiday, and students present plays, sing holiday songs, and have parties. Schools are closed, and menorahs are displayed atop such prominent buildings as Israel’s parliament, the Knesset.
Why does Hanukkah last for eight days?
According to the Talmud, when Judas Maccabeus entered the Second Temple of Jerusalem, he found only a small jar of oil that had not been defiled by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The jar contained only enough oil to burn for one day, but miraculously the oil burned for eight days until new consecrated oil could be found, establishing the precedent that the festival should last eight days.
How is Hanukkah celebrated?
Hanukkah commemorates the Maccabean (Hasmonean) victories over the forces of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes (reigned 175–164 bce) and the rededication of the Temple on Kislev 25, 164 bce. Led by Mattathias and his son Judas Maccabeus (died c. 161 bce), the Maccabees were the first Jews who fought to defend their religious beliefs rather than their lives. According to I Maccabees, a text of the Apocrypha (writings excluded from the Jewish canon but included in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Old Testament canons), Antiochus had invaded Judaea, tried to Hellenize the Jews, and desecrated the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Following the Jewish victory in a three-year struggle against Antiochus, Judas ordered the cleansing and restoration of the Temple. After it was purified, a new altar was installed and dedicated on Kislev 25. Judas then proclaimed that the dedication of the restored Temple should be celebrated every year for eight days beginning on that date. In II Maccabees the celebration is compared to the festival of Sukkoth (the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths), which the Jews were unable to celebrate because of the invasion of Antiochus. Hanukkah, therefore, emerged as a celebration of the dedication, as the word itself suggests.
Although the traditional practice of lighting candles at Hanukkah was not established in the books of the Maccabees, the custom most likely started relatively early. The practice is enshrined in the Talmud (Shabbat 21b), which describes the miracle of the oil in the Temple. According to the Talmud, when Judas Maccabeus entered the Temple, he found only a small jar of oil that had not been defiled by Antiochus. The jar contained only enough oil to burn for one day, but miraculously the oil burned for eight days until new consecrated oil could be found, establishing the precedent that the festival should last eight days. The early date for this story or at least the practice of lighting eight candles is confirmed by the debate of the 1st-century-ce scholars Hillel and Shammai. Hillel and his school taught that one candle should be lit on the first night of Hanukkah and one more each night of the festival. Shammai held that all eight candles should be lit the first night, with the number decreasing by one each night thereafter.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Oct 27, 2009 · Hanukkah 2023 begins on the evening of Thursday, December 7 and ends on the evening of Friday, December 15. Often called the Festival of Lights, the holiday is celebrated with the lighting of the...
While Hanukkah has been connected to historical events that our ancestors experienced a little more than two thousand years ago, this text reminds us that there is also a more universal and eternal theme to our winter holiday: When it’s cold and dark, come together and celebrate.
Dec 7, 2023 · Today Hanukkah is celebrated on the 25th day of Kislev (the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar), which typically falls in late November to mid-December.
