Hanukkah is a Jewish festival meaning "the dedication."
It is celebrated in commemoration of the rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees following their victory over the Syrians under Antiochus IV.
Hanukkah lasts eight days, celebrated from the 25th day of the month of Kislev to the 2nd of Tebet. Even though it is over 2,000 years old, Hanukkah is still celebrated today.
Also called by its Hebrew name "Chanukah", this holiday coincides with the Christian holiday Christmas, and is characterized chiefly by the lighting of the menorah on each night of the festival. The menorah is a candelabrum having nine branches holding nine candles.
Many Jewish families follow the tradition of eating a dinner including "latkes," which are potato pancakes fried in oil and by giving a gift on each of the eight eves. These gifts are an added way to make the holiday a happy one.
The Hanukkah gifts may include "Hanukkah gelt" which is money, sometimes used in "dreidel" games. The "dreidel" is a four sided spinning top bearing the Hebrew letters nun, gimel, he, and shin, each on one side. These letters are the first four letters of the Hebrew sentence "Nes gadol hayah sham" which means "A miracle happened there."
This is a very brief overview of the holiday Hanukkah. The full story of Hanukkah, and the miracles which occurred is an interesting one for young and old alike - of any denominational faith.
