Hanukkah: What is it and how is it celebrated?

Hanukkah, also spelt Chanukah, is the Jewish festival of light.

The dates of Hanukkah change every year, but it always falls in November or December and lasts for eight nights.

Hanukkah and Christmas can overlap but for the first time since 2005, in 2024 the first night of Hanukkah lands on Christmas Day.

The word Hanukkah means 'dedication' and celebrates one of the greatest miracles in the Jewish faith .

So what happened and how do people mark the festival today?

What's the story of Hanukkah?

This drawing depicts the Maccabees rising up against the Greeks

Hanukkah is when believers celebrate a time, over 2,000 years ago, when the Jews won a battle against the Greeks to practise their religion freely.

The Greeks had banned all Jewish rituals. Emperor Antiochus tried to make Jewish people bow down in front of a statue of him that had been put in a temple, and pray to Greek gods.

However, the Jews refused to obey him because their religion forbade it.

A group of Jews called the Maccabees fought back against the Emperor's army.

After three years, they won the war and recaptured Jerusalem from the Greeks.

When the Jews went back to their temple, they saw that it had nearly been destroyed.

They cleaned and repaired the temple, and rededicated it to God by lighting the lamp, which was a symbol of God's presence.

They only had one small jar of oil, which was only enough for one day, however, miraculously the lamp stayed alight for eight days.

This is why the Hanukkah festival lasts for eight days and why light is really important in the celebration.

How is it celebrated?

Hanukkah is celebrated with nightly lighting of candles as well as playing games, singing songs and preparing delicious food.

It is a fun time for children, as they will receive gifts and Hanukkah money called gelt.

Some families give each other a small present on each of the eight nights of Hanukkah.

What is a Hanukiah?

This girl shows us her classroom's Hanukiah, with nine candles.

The religious festival is celebrated by lighting a candlestick called a Hanukiah.

It has eight branches plus the shamash, meaning helper, which is lit first and used to light the other candles.

The shamash usually sits a bit higher or lower or to the side of the other candles.

Jewish people say the eight branches represents the eight days of the miracle and they light one candle for each night of Hanukkah.

What do Jewish people eat at Hanukkah?

Latkes are a special type of potato fritter that are traditionally eaten at Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a great time for eating delicious food.

Some dishes have special meaning, such as latkes (which are a kind of potato fritter), pancakes and doughnuts.

This is because they are fried in oil and so, by preparing and eating this food, Jewish people remember the miracle of the oil lasting eight days in the temple.