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Hanukkah: The Festival of Festivals
One of the most well-known Jewish holidays is Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, and also spelled in many different ways: Hannukah, Hannukkah, Chanukah and Channukkah . The word ‘Hanukkah’ means dedication in the language of Hebrew. This celebration lasts for 8 nights. It is celebrated during the Hebrew calendar month of Kislev, on the 25th (on our calendar that would be late November through early December). This year, Hanukkah officially begins on December 22nd.

It’s year 168 B.C.E in Jerusalem. The Greek King of Syria has commanded all Jews to praise Greek gods, and have taken over their Holy Temple. Some of the Jews submit in fear, but the majority wanted to revolt. When a Jewish rabbi named Mattathias was asked to bow to a Greek idol and eat a pig’s skin, he refused. Another Jewish man stepped in for him and agreed to do so. Mattathias became horribly angry at the situation, and killed both the Greek soldier that suggested the idea, and the man who agreed to do it. He, his sons, and other villagers killed many other soldiers before heading into the mountains for hiding. These people developed into armies known as the Maccabees. They fought the Greeks until 165 B.C.E. when they became victorious over the Syrians and gained their temple back. The temple was not as beautiful as they had left it, and they had to restore it back to it’s previous state. When they were done, they wanted to light the golden menorah, but only found enough oil to last for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight whole days, which was ironically the same amount of time it takes to make the specific olive oil they used to light the menorah. This miracle was passed on through Hebrew scripture and became a celebration for those of the Jewish faith.

Now for the fun part: Hanukkah traditions. The most well-known tradition of Hanukkah has got to be the lighting of the 8 candles in commemoration of...