December is a time where Christmas cheer is all around you.  It is also a time where a holiday such as Hanukah (or Chanukah) is celebrated by many people throughout the world. Hanukah, which means dedication in Hebrew and is also known as the “Festival of Lights,” is an eight day holiday that commemorates the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean revolt of the 2nd century BCE. The holiday is dedicated to a group of Jews who believed greatly in their rights and nationalist freedom. The Maccabee warriors rose up against Antiochus, a Greco-Syrian monarch who ruled Israel with a hard hand, banning Jews from practicing their faith and pressuring them to convert to a Hellenic way of life.  The Maccabee warriors then captured the Holy Temple, which was the premier site of ancient Judaism.  The celebration behind Hanukah is due to the fact that when the Maccabees reclaimed the temple after it was in shambles and torn apart by the Greco-Syrians the fighters found only enough oil to light the candelabra for one day.  The candelabra, however, burned for eight full days, hence the eight day celebration.

Hanukah is celebrated on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, during the darkest days of the years. This year it is celebrated from December 5 through December 12. There are many traditions and prayers that Jews practice during the 8 days of Hanukah. These traditions include prayers, lighting the Menorah, baking cookies, make donuts and other fried foods and in North America, exchanging gifts to children after the candles are lit and the prayers are said.  When a candle is lit on the menorah, they recite a prayer extolling God who “performed miracles for our ancestors in days of old.” 

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