Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrated for 8 days and nights in December. Sometimes Hanukkah begins in November, too. The dates change from year to year. Hanukkah 2022 will begin after sundown on Sunday, Dec. 18, and ends after sundown on Monday, Dec. 26.
Jewish families gather to celebrate with food, songs, and games. Some families exchange small gifts, opening one present on each night of Hanukkah.
Each night after the sun sets, a candle is lighted on a special candle holder called a menorah.
A menorah holds one candle for each night of Hanukkah (8), plus one more candle that is used to light the other candles. This ninth candle is called the “shamash” or servant candle.
THE STORY OF HANUKKAH
Celebrating Hanukkah reminds Jewish people of a miracle that happened in ancient Israel over 2,000 years ago.
In 169 BCE, a Greek king named Antiochus (an-TIE-uh-kus) ruled the Jews of what was then called Palestine, now Israel. He wanted the Jewish people to worship the Greek gods, but they refused to give up their religion.
To punish them, Antiochus outlawed the Jewish religion. Jewish people were not allowed to worship their God, practice their religion, nor study the Jewish law. Anyone who did these things would be put to death.
In Jerusalem, Antiochus’ army took over the Jewish temple. The soldiers put an altar to Zeus in the temple, sacrificed pigs, and treated the temple and the Jewish people with great disrespect. The temple was no longer holy, no longer fit for prayer.
A group of Jewish people decided that they were not going to accept the cruel treatment of the Greek king. They were called the Maccabees. They organized a small army and fought against the Greek army, eventually defeating them and driving them out of Jerusalem.
To celebrate their victory, the Maccabees cleaned and restored their temple. When they were done, it was time to perform a ceremony to dedicate their temple to God and make it holy again. To do this, they needed holy oil to burn in a lamp, but they could only find one small jar of holy oil.
The oil in the jar was holy, but it was only enough to burn for one night. To their surprise, a miracle happened – the oil burned for 8 days and nights! This is why Hanukkah is celebrated for 8 days. The 8 candles in the menorah each represent one day that the small jar of oil burned.
Hanukkah means “dedication”, which is what Jewish people are celebrating during the holiday. They are remembering the miracle that happened when the Maccabees defeated Antiochus’ army, and a small jar of oil burned for eight nights as they dedicated their temple to God.
HOW DO PEOPLE CELEBRATE HANUKKAH?
During Hanukkah, family and friends gather together to celebrate. The holiday lasts eight days, and each night at sundown, candles are lighted in the menorah and prayers are said.
This Hanukkah counting song is a fun way to introduce early learners to many of the traditions discussed on this page:
“Dreidel” is a traditional game played during Hanukkah. A dreidel is a small spinning top with four sides. Each side has a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. They are: nun, gimel, hei, and shin. Here is how to play the traditional dreidel game:
The Dreidel Song:
A jazzier version of the Dreidel song. Wait for it… it’s worth it!
Here are some more games people play during Hanukkah:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/g34451015/hanukkah-games/
WHAT FOODS DO PEOPLE EAT DURING HANUKKAH?
Because there are Jewish people from many different cultures all around the world, there are many different foods that are eaten during Hanukkah. But one thing many of the foods have in common is that they are cooked in oil. Why do you think foods cooked in oil would be part of a Hanukkah celebration?
Latkes: Latkes are simple potato pancakes that are a traditional Hanukkah food. Here are two ways to make them:
Sufganiyot: Sufganiyot are delicious jelly donuts that are enjoyed during Hanukkah. Learn more about them here: