Hanukkah+

Hanukkah, also spelled Chanukah (Hebrew: חֲנֻכָּה, usually pronounced /ˈhɑːnʊkə/ in English), is a Jewish festival commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE. It is also known as the Festival of Lights.

Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.

The festival is observed by lighting the candles of a special candelabrum called a hanukkiah (or chanukiah), one candle on the first night, two candles on the second night, and so on, until all eight candles are lit on the eighth night. Typically, a ninth candle called the shamash ("attendant" or "helper") is used to light the other candles.

Hanukkah is associated with the story of the Maccabees, who, after defeating the Seleucid army, found only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the Temple's menorah for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days, which was enough time to prepare new oil.

Common Hanukkah customs include:

• Lighting the hanukkiah each night.
• Eating foods fried in oil, such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts).
• Playing with dreidels, four-sided spinning tops with Hebrew letters on each side. The letters are an acronym for "Nes Gadol Haya Sham," meaning "A great miracle happened there." In Israel, the last letter is changed to a "P" representing "Po," meaning "here."
• Giving Hanukkah gelt (money), often in the form of chocolate coins.
• Singing Hanukkah songs.

While not as religiously significant as Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, Hanukkah has taken on increased cultural importance, particularly in North America, as a Jewish alternative to Christmas.