Chanukkah, the Jewish festival of rededication, also known as the festival of lights, is an eight day festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev.

Chanukkah has become one of the most recognized holidays, and has become one of the biggest marketed Jewish Holidays, although Chanukkah is actually a minor holiday on the Jewish calendar. Because of its close proximity to Christmas, it has somewhat ruined that meaning of the holiday and has become more of a gift giving holiday like Christmas.

            The Story of Chanukkah goes as follows: Around 160 B.C.E., about a century after Alexander the Great, the Greek ruler Antiochus IV ruled the Middle East. While Alexander the Great allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy, Antiochus IV did not. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasidim, the forerunners of the Pharisees (no direct connection to the modern movement known as Chasidism). They joined forces in a revolt against both the assimilation of the Hellenistic Jews and oppression by the Seleucid Greek government. The revolution succeeded and the Temple was rededicated.

            According to tradition as recorded in the Talmud, at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. There was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle.

            In commemoration of this eight day festival, we light a candelabrum called a menorah (or sometimes called a chanukkiah) that holds nine candles: one for each night, plus a shammus (servant) at a different height.

            It is traditional to eat fried foods on Chanukkah because of the significance of oil to the holiday. Among Ashkenazic Jews, this usually includes latkes (pronounced "lot-kuhs" or "lot-keys", potato pancakes, as well as Jelly Donuts (Sufganiyot). My recipe is included later in this page.

            Another tradition of the holiday is playing dreidel, a gambling game played with a square top. The traditional explanation of this game is that during the time of Antiochus' oppression, those who wanted to study Torah (an illegal activity) would conceal their activity by playing gambling games with a top (a common and legal activity) whenever an official or inspector was within sight.

           

            Beacuase of the Dreidel gambling game, you can usually find chocolate "gelt" or coins around this holiday. Also chocolate depicting 8 branch candelabrums (Menorahs) and Dreidels are usually found.