Hanukkah

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday that usually falls in December. It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem following the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire around 165 BCE. The central symbol of Hanukkah is the menorah, a nine-branched candelabrum. One candle is lit each night, representing the miracle of a small amount of oil lasting eight days instead of one. Families celebrate with prayers, games, traditional foods like latkes and sufganiyot, and by giving gifts, emphasizing themes of faith, resilience, and the triumph of light over darkness.