What Is Hanukkah and Why Is It Celebrated?

Jewish people around the world celebrate Hanukkah, beginning each year on the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev, and continue for the next eight days. Because our Gregorian calendar is different, our date varies from year to year.

In 2021, the holiday began right after Thanksgiving, on November 28. But this year, Hanukkah starts at sundown on December 18, with the eighth night beginning at sundown on December 25.

There is an old joke that American Jews like to tell to describe our holidays and traditions: “They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat!”

Hanukkah commemorates a war fought in the second century BCE and an ensuing miracle.

At that time, the Hebrews’ land was occupied by Syrians who were forbidding them from practicing their Jewish religion. Judah the Maccabee led a ragtag band of armed Hebrews to victory over the Syrians and drove them out of their land.

Following their victory, the Jewish people had to rededicate their Holy Temple after the Syrian occupation. This involved relighting the temple’s seven-branched candelabra, Menorah. But they only had enough oil to keep it lit for one day. The miracle occurred when the Menorah stayed lit for eight days and eight nights, which gave the Hebrews time to obtain more oil. And Hanukkah has been celebrated ever since.

The Hebrew word for the holiday is חֲנֻכָּה‎ and means “dedication.” You see different English spellings of the holiday’s name because the Roman and Hebrew alphabets don’t incorporate all the same sounds, so it’s been translated to “Hanukkah” or “Chanukah.” Both spellings are correct. (Just don’t pronounce it with a “ch” sound as in “church.” When you see a Hebrew word with a “ch” in it, that’s an indication to use a gutteral sound that is a little like clearing your throat. Or just go the easy way and use the “h” sound as in “Halloween.”)

With all those candles, it’s no wonder that Hanukkah is known as the Festival of Lights. The menorahs used by Jewish families to celebrate Hanukkah have eight branches for candles (plus a tall one that serves as the shamash, or servant candle). This special menorah is technically called a hanukkiah, as it’s used specifically for the holiday.

Hanukkah is a family holiday, celebrated in the home. On the first night at sundown, the family re-enacts the lighting at the Temple by saying a prayer as they ignite the shamash, which is then used to light the first candle on the menorah. The following night, they light two candles, then three, and so on until the eighth night when all the candles are lit.

The candle lighting may be followed with opening gifts, playing the dreidel game, and reading stories explaining the Hanukkah story to the kids. And of course, there are traditional foods to enjoy. To remember the miracle of the oil, Jewish families serve fried foods, like latkes (potato pancakes) or sufganiyot (doughnuts) with the Hanukkah meal.

Now that her 18-month old son is no longer a baby, Sacramento mom Carly Starr is introducing him to the holiday.

“I am teaching my son how to play dreidel, and we are making an activity around ‘counting’ the number of candles on a menorah. We have a bunch of Hanukkah books which are also being read frequently,” she told Mom.com.

Rabbi Jill Zimmerman told Mom.com that the story of Hanukkah is especially relevant this year.

“As antisemitism sweeps across our nation in unprecedented ways, celebrating Hanukkah has a new dimension for today’s Jews,” she said. ““In years past, it has been a custom to place our menorahs in our windows, facing outward, to share the joy of increasing light. Today, however, this practice becomes an act of bravery.”

“This year, many of us will light our menorahs and let them shine into the street from our homes as an act of both pride and defiance. It’s shocking that in 2022 in the US, where so many of us have felt safe, that displaying our menorahs in our windows could possibly elicit more hate. I hope it does not,” Rabbi Zimmerman said.

Carly told Mom.com she is feeling this, too. “This year, I did buy a cheap LED menorah to put in the window as soon as I put holiday lights on my house. I did this specifically to show Jewish presence in my neighborhood,” she said. “While I know there are more Jews in my neighborhood compared to other places, it was still important for me to take that extra step this year.”