OVERVIEW OF HANUKKAH
Hanukkah, also known as Festival of Lights is a Jewish holiday celebrated on December 25. Before the 20th century, Hanukkah was a relatively minor holiday. However, with the rise of Christmas as the biggest holiday in the Western world and the establishment of the modern state of Israel, Hanukkah began increasingly to serve both as a celebration of the restoration of Jewish sovereignity in Israel and, more importantly, as a December family-oriented gift-giving holiday which could be a Jewish substitute for the Christian one.
HISTORY OF HANUKKAH
This holiday marks the defeat of Seleucid Empire forces that had tried to prevent the people of Israel from practicing Judaism. Judah Maccabee and his brothers destroyed overwhelming forces, and rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem. Judah ordered the Temple to be cleansed, a new altar to be built in place of the polluted one, and new holy vessels to be made. When the fire had been kindled anew upon the altar and the lamps of the candlestick lit, the dedication of the altar was celebrated for eight days with a festival and marked by the kindling of lights and a special menorah.
A number of historians believe that the reason for the eight day celebration was that the first Hanukkah was in effect a belated celebration of the festival of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. During the war the Jews were not able to celebrate Sukkot properly. Sukkot also lasts for eight days, and was a holiday in which the lighting of lamps played a prominent part during the Second Temple period. Lights were also kindled in the household, and the popular name of the festival was, therefore, according to Josephus the "Festival of Lights." It has been noted that Jewish festivals are connected to the harvesting of the Biblical seven fruits which Israel was famed for. Pesach is a celebration of the barley harvest, Shavuoth of the wheat, Sukkoth of the figs, dates, pomegranates and grapes, and Hanukkah of the olives. The olive harvest is in November and olive oil would be ready in time for Hanukkah in December.
HANUKKAH TRIVIA
Jewish children also play a game where they spin a four-sided top with Hebrew lettering called a dreidel.
Source: The English Wikipedia
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