what is hanukkah all about

Hanukkah is an eight‑day Jewish festival that celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the survival of Jewish religious identity in the face of oppression. It is often called the Festival of Lights and is best known for lighting candles on a special nine‑branched menorah, one for each night plus a helper candle.

Quick Scoop: What Hanukkah Is About

• Core story: Hanukkah remembers the victory of a small Jewish group called the Maccabees over the Seleucid Greeks, who had banned key Jewish practices and defiled the Temple in Jerusalem. After taking back the Temple, the Jews rededicated it to their worship of God.

• Miracle of the oil: Tradition says they found only enough pure oil to keep the Temple’s lamp burning one day, but it lasted eight days until more oil could be prepared. That “extra” light is why Hanukkah lasts eight nights and is so strongly linked with candles and light.

• Festival of Lights: Because of that miracle, Hanukkah became known as the Festival of Lights and centers on bringing light into a season that’s literally and symbolically dark.

How People Celebrate

• Lighting the menorah (hanukkiah): Each night, one additional candle is lit using the shamash (“helper”) candle until all eight are glowing on the final night. Blessings are recited, and many families sing songs or share reflections while the candles burn.

• Timing: Hanukkah starts at sundown on the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev and runs for eight nights, usually landing in December in the Gregorian calendar.

• Home‑based holiday: Unlike some other Jewish holidays centered in the synagogue, Hanukkah is very home‑focused, with candles, food, games, and gifts often shared with family and friends.

Traditions, Food, and Fun

• Fried foods: Because of the oil theme, foods fried in oil are a big deal, especially potato latkes (pancakes) and jelly‑filled doughnuts called sufganiyot.

• Dreidel game: A spinning top game with Hebrew letters that stand for the phrase “A great miracle happened there,” used for lighthearted play with chocolate coins (gelt) or small prizes.

• Gifts and gelt: In modern times, many families give small gifts or chocolate “gelt,” especially for children, sometimes on multiple nights.

What It Means Spiritually

• Religious freedom and identity: Hanukkah highlights the struggle to keep Jewish faith and practice alive when a ruling power tried to suppress it. It has become a symbol of staying true to one’s beliefs and culture despite pressure to blend in or give up.

• Light vs. darkness: The growing row of candles is often seen as a picture of hope, courage, and spiritual light pushing back against fear, oppression, and despair. Many people use the week to reflect on how they can add a bit more “light” to the world through kindness and justice.

• Modern importance: Historically a minor festival, Hanukkah has become one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays today, especially in communities where it sits near other big winter celebrations.

TL;DR: Hanukkah is all about remembering a fight for religious freedom, celebrating a small miracle that kept sacred light burning, and bringing more literal and symbolic light into a dark time of year.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.