1. What is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah, or in the traditional spelling, Chanukah, means “dedication” in Hebrew. The holiday celebrates the victory of a tribe of revolutionary Jews, the Maccabees, against Syrian-Greek oppression in the second century BCE. During this time, the Syrian-Greek leader, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, ruler of the Seleucid Empire, made the practice of Judaism illegal and overtook the Temple in Jerusalem. After Judah Maccabee and his band of rebels defeated the forces of the Syrian-Greek forces, the Jews cleansed and rededicated the Temple by lighting a Menorah, or a candelabra with seven branches. According to the Talmud—an extensive collection of rabbinic law and biblical commentary written between 200 and 500 CE—although the Maccabees found only a small amount of oil to light the candelabra, it miraculously lasted 8 nights, resulting in Hanukkah’s nickname, “the festival of lights.”

2. When is Hanukkah?

In 2024, Hanukkah will occur from December 25 through January 2 on the Gregorian calendar. The holiday typically falls between late November and December. In the Hebrew calendar, Hanukkah begins each year on the eve of the month kislev and ends after eight days.

3. What is a menorah?

A menorah, translated to “lamp” in Hebrew, is a candelabra with seven branches that were lit every day by the Israelites in the desert following their Exodus from Egypt. Nevertheless, the menorah became a symbol of Hanukkah during the rededication of the second temple in the story of Hanukkah. The modern Hanukkah menorah has two more branches than the temple menorah to accommodate a candle for each night of the holiday and for the shamash, or helper candle, which is used to light all others. The nine-branch version of the menorah is called a chanukiah in modern Hebrew.

4. How Do Jews Observe Hanukkah?

In dedication to the triumph against the forced assimilation of the Jews under the Syrian Greeks and the miracle of the oil, each night of Hanukkah, Jews use the shamash to light an additional candle on the menorah, meaning 8 candles (besides the shamash) are lit by the last night. During the lighting of the candles, blessings are recited. Although menorah lighting is done primarily in the home, public lighting ceremonies are popular around the world, with the practice started in 1974 by a Chabad Rabbi who lit the first public menorah outside of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. 

Another Hanukkah tradition is dreidel. The game uses a four-sided spinning top on which each side has a different Hebrew letter: nun, gimmel, hei, or shin which indicates how many coins (in many traditions coming in the form of gelt, which means chocolate coins in Yiddish) are taken by the player, with the goal being to earn all the coins in the game. Together, the letters on the dreidel form an acronym for nes gadol hayah sham, a phrase often said on Hanukkah which means “a great miracle happened there.”

5. What Foods Are Eaten on Hanukkah?

On Hanukkah, it’s customary for Jews to eat oily foods, a nod to the miracle of the Maccabees lighting the menorah with such little oil. Latkes, or as some might call them, potato pancakes, are a traditional Hanukkah food from Eastern Europe made from potatoes and onions and fried in oil. Many like to top their latkes with sour cream or apple sauce, or even both (although the topic is controversial)! 

Another famous Hanukkah food is sufganiyot, or jelly-filled donuts, which are a Hanukkah treat popularized by Israel.

6. What is Chrismukkah?

In 2003, the hit teen drama series The O.C. introduced a term that became quickly popular in mainstream media—Chrismukkah. Chrismukkah broadly describes when Christmas and Hanukkah traditions are celebrated in combination. Curious about what it means to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah together, or if that’s even possible? Read more in Chrismukkah: As Defined by a Jew Who Celebrates!