By PETER SMITH
Hanukkah — also spelled Chanukah or other transliterations from Hebrew — is Judaism’s “festival of lights.” On eight consecutive nightfalls, Jews gather with family and friends to light one additional candle in the menorah — a multibranched candelabra.
In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication.” The holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem nearly 2,200 years ago after a small group of Jewish fighters liberated it from occupying foreign forces.
With the tiny supply of ritually pure oil that they found in the temple, they lit the menorah. According to the Talmud, it miraculously remained lit for eight days. The ritual of lighting a nightly candle and the emphasis on cooking foods in oil, such as potato pancakes called latkes, memorialize this holiday.
FILE – Ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students light candles on the third day of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File) FILE – People gather around the 10-foot menorah during the “Hanukkah on the Pier” event at the end of the San Clemente pier hosted by Chabad of San Clemente in San Clemente, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (Leonard Ortiz/The Orange County Register via AP, File) FILE – A Jewish ultra-Orthodox man lights candles during the last day of Jewish holiday of Hanukkah in Jerusalem’s Mea Shearim neighborhood, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File) FILE – Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal, right, and Rabbi Shmuel Segal, left, watch the set-up of a giant Hanukkah Menorah by the Jewish Chabad Educational Center ahead of the Jewish Hanukkah holiday, in front of the Brandenburg Gate at the Pariser Platz in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File) Show Caption1 of 4FILE – Ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students light candles on the third day of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File) ExpandVariations in the starting date
Hanukkah always begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev.
But the Jewish calendar, which is based on lunar cycles, is not in sync with the commonly used Gregorian calendar. Depending on the year, Hanukkah falls at various times between late November and late December.
This year, Hanukkah starts at sundown on Sunday, Dec. 14, and lasts through Dec. 22.
Traditionally, Hanukkah has not been a major holiday on the Jewish calendar, but it has taken on cultural prominence because it occurs at a time when many other people are preparing for Christmas.
Bringing light into the darkness
Jews across the religious observance spectrum — from Reform to Conservative to Orthodox — focus on the same theme of bringing light into the darkness and emphasizing that even a small, against-the-odds effort can have a transforming effect.
The Talmud, an ancient compendium of commentary and teachings on Jewish law, customs and Scripture, reflects a dispute over the order of lighting. But most people start with one candle and increase the lighting by an additional candle each night while reciting or chanting special blessings.
The candles are added from right to left, but lit from left to right on the menorah, thus always starting with the newest light. The special menorah used for Hanukkah has eight branches, with a ninth place for the candle called shamash from which all others are lit.
The tradition calls for candles with a real flame, although some also use electric ones in public displays, such as in hospitals, for safety reasons.
Celebrating by charitable giving and spreading the light
A menorah is lit in each household and traditionally is placed where it can be seen from the outside, such as a doorway or windowsill, to symbolize the spreading of God’s light to all nations.
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In addition to menorah lightings, giving to charity and social works are also part of the celebration for many, reflecting the belief that the Jewish people are called by God to help make the world better for all.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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