Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that lasts for eight nights. It is sometimes called the Festival of Lights. Jewish families celebrate it every year by lighting candles, sharing meals, and remembering an event that happened more than 2,000 years ago. The holiday usually falls in December, but the exact date changes each year.

The story of Hanukkah goes back to about 165 BCE. At that time, a Greek king named Antiochus IV ruled the land of Judea, where many Jewish people lived. He tried to force them to give up their religion. He took over the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and would not let them worship there. A small Jewish army called the Maccabees fought back. Even though they had fewer fighters and weapons, they won. After the battle, they took the Temple back and cleaned it up.

Then came the part of the story that gives Hanukkah its meaning. The Maccabees wanted to relight the Temple's special lamp, called the menorah. But they could find only one small jar of pure oil. It looked like enough for just one day. They lit the lamp anyway. The oil lasted for eight days, long enough to make more. Many Jewish people believe this was a miracle. The eight nights of Hanukkah remember those eight days.

Today, families celebrate by lighting a special menorah called a hanukkiah. It holds nine candles. Eight of them stand for the eight nights. The ninth one, called the shamash, is used to light the others. On the first night, families light one candle. On the second night, they light two. They keep going until all eight are burning on the last night.

Food is a big part of the holiday too. Many traditional foods are fried in oil to remember the oil that lasted eight days. Latkes are crispy potato pancakes, often eaten with applesauce or sour cream. Sufganiyot are round jelly doughnuts, popular in Israel. Children play a game with a spinning top called a dreidel. Each side has a Hebrew letter, and the letters together stand for "a great miracle happened there." Players win or lose small treats, often chocolate coins called gelt.

Hanukkah is not the most important holiday in Judaism. Yom Kippur and Passover hold a higher place. But because Hanukkah falls near Christmas, it has become very visible, especially in places like the United States. For Jewish families, it is a time to remember the courage of the Maccabees and the small jar of oil that gave more light than anyone expected.