Hanukkah

Hanukkah, also called the Festival of Lights, is a Jewish celebration that lasts for eight days and usually takes place between November and December. It commemorates events from the 2nd century BCE, when a group of Jews known as the Maccabees revolted against the Seleucid Empire, which controlled Judea at the time.

According to Jewish tradition, after the Maccabees reclaimed and purified the Temple in Jerusalem, a small amount of oil that was expected to last only one day burned for eight days, allowing time to prepare new sacred oil. This story is the origin of the tradition of lighting the hanukkiah, a special nine-branched lamp used during the festival.

During Hanukkah, a new candle is lit on the hanukkiah each evening for eight nights, with the ninth candle, called the shamash, used to light the others. Families often gather, share meals, sing traditional songs, and play games such as dreidel, a spinning top with Hebrew letters.

Foods cooked in oil, such as latkes and sufganiyot, are commonly eaten because oil is an important symbol of the celebration. Although Hanukkah is not one of the most important holidays in the Jewish religious calendar, it has become a significant cultural tradition that highlights themes of identity, memory, and the preservation of religious practices.