Hanukkah History
The history of Hanukkah (aka Chanukah) goes back, way back, to when it all
started in the year 165 BCE. Hanukkah (Chanukah), the "dedication" and "The
Festival of Lights", is a Jewish festival which begins on the Hebrew date
of the 25th of Kislev and lasts eight days, through the 2nd of Tevet.
Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the Maccabees (led by Judah) over
the Hellenistic Syrians in a revolt that took place around 165 BCE. The most
important Hanukkah ritual is the candle lighting. A candle is lit in a special
candleholder called a Menorah. Each night, one more candle is added. The middle
candle, called the "Shamash", is used to light each of the other
candles and it is lit every night. On the first night of Hanukkah, two candles
are lit (the Shamash and the candle for the first night) and on the last night,
there are nine lit candles. As you know the story of Chanukah is an interesting
tradition... More about the History of the Hanukkah.
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