This year, Hanukkah falls on December 25 and ends on January 2, 2025.

To understand the holiday, we need to understand its intent and meaning. In this article, I will discuss the origin of Hanukkah, its traditions, and other information. After reading this article, I hope you’ll get a better understanding of Hanukkah. 

Hanukkah is observed for eight days and falls on the 25 of the Kislev in the Hebrew calendar. The current year on the Hebrew calendar is the year 5785, Kislev is a month on the calendar and Kislev usually falls between November and December and is the ninth month of the Jewish calendar.

Hanukkah (or Chanukah) celebrates the power of light over darkness. It commemorates the Maccabean victories against Antiochus IV Epiphanes who was the king of the Seleucid Empire. They successfully took back the temple and installed a new altar. Judas claimed that the dedication of the new temple should be celebrated every year for 8 days beginning on the 25th of Kislev. Hanukkah was seen as a celebration of dedication which is what the name Hanukkah means. 

The menorah is a candelabra that is used to celebrate Hanukkah.  There are three types of menorah, the one used to celebrate Hanukkah has nine branches, compared to the regular menorah which is just a lamp. There’s another menorah, but it’s mainly used in church with seven branches representing the eternal presence of God. The Hanukkah menorah has eight main branches and nine branches in total including the shamash (servant) light which is used to light up the other branches.

Each day on Hanukkah one branch is lit, symbolizing the liberation of darkness over light. Lighting the menorah did not come from the Book of Maccabees. The practice is in Talmud (Shabbat 21) which says Judas Maccabeus entered the temple and found a small jar of oil. The jar contained enough oil to burn for one day: however, miraculously the oil burned for eight days which goes back to the festival lasting eight days. 

Besides lighting the menorah each day on Hanukkah other traditions go with it. Each day on Hanukkah, the Jewish people read the scripture and recite some of the Psalms, almsgiving, and sing a hymn. Alongside the prayers, they thank God for delivering the strong to the weak and evil to the good.

Besides religious traditions, non-religious traditions are also used to celebrate Hanukkah. They make potato pancakes (latkes), Doughnuts (sufganiyot), and other oil-fried goods to commemorate the miracle of the oil. Children receive Hanukkah gelt which are gifts and money, some are distributed in a gold-foiled chocolate coin. Children play games with the dreidel. 

In Israel, Hanukkah is a national holiday. There is a relay from Modi’in to Jerusalem. Runners carry torches through the streets and run until the final torchbearer reaches the Western Wall, the last remnant of the temple. The torchbearers hand the torch over to the chief rabbi, who then uses it to light the first candle of a giant menorah.