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The Hanukkah Festival is currently considered as one of the most celebrated festivals across the globe, but despite it being so famous, a lot of people have no idea what it is and why it is celebrated, and the good thing is that we are here and we will help you out in understanding what this celebratory festival is about.
Below, in this blog, we have listed down every single detail that you need to know about the great Hanukkah festival. From how it is celebrated, what its meaning is, and how to celebrate it with your family, we have written down everything so you can have a proper overview about this festival.
Hanukkah Meaning
The Hanukkah festival, which is also known as the Festival of Lights, is a Jewish Festival that commemorates the recovery of Jerusalem and the subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the start of the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire, which happened in the 2nd century BCE. The Hanukkah festival is basically a Jewil festival that reaffirms the ideals of the religion Judaism. Also, on each day of the festival, people light candles in order to commemorate the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem.
Please do keep in mind that the Hanukkah is observed for 8 nights and days, which starts on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew Calendar. Most of the time the Hanukkah occurs from the last days of November to late December in the Gregorian Calendar. The festival is observed by lighting the candles of a candelabrum with 9 branches and it is commonly known as the Hanukkiah or the Menorah. One of the branches is placed above or below the other and its candle is used to light the other candles. The unique candle used in this celebration is known as the Shammash and on each night, one additional candle is lit by the Shammash until all the 8 candles are lit together on the final light of the festival.
What Is The Hanukkah Festival?
The Hanukkah festival is a Jewish festival that commemorates the recovery of Jerusalem. Not only that, it also celebrates the subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the start of the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire, which happened in the 2nd century BCE. The Hanukkah is observed for 8 nights and days, which starts on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew Calendar. Every year, the Hanukkah is celebrated between the last days of November up to the late days of December in the Gregorian calendar.
Why Is Hanukkah Celebrated?
The Hanukkah is celebrated to remember and commemorate the battles the Maccabees fought against their oppressors. It celebrates their ability to win and for the fact that it allowed them to gain religious freedom.
How Is The Hanukkah Festival Celebrated
When people are celebrating Hanukkah, they carry out a lot of festivities, which includes singing Hanukkah songs, playing the game of Dreidel and eating food such as Latkes, Sufganiyot and dairy foods.
Hanukkah Festival Date 2019 To 2026
Here are the dates of the Hanukkah Festival from the year 2019 to 2026:
- Sunset, 22 December 2019 – nightfall, 30 December 2019
- Sunset, 10 December 2020 – nightfall, 18 December 2020
- Sunset, 28 November 2021 – nightfall, 6 December 2021
- Sunset, 18 December 2022 – nightfall, 26 December 2022
- Sunset, 7 December 2023 – nightfall, 15 December 2023
- Sunset, 25 December 2024 – nightfall, 2 January 2025
- Sunset, 14 December 2025 – nightfall, 22 December 2025
- Sunset, 4 December 2026 – nightfall, 12 December 2026
10 Amazing Hanukkah Facts That You Never Knew
Here are some of the most amazing facts that you probably never knew about the great Hanukkah celebratory festival:
- A menorah is lit each night of the holiday
- Hanukkah lasts for eight nights
- ‘Hanukkah’ means ‘dedication’
- Gifts were not always given for Hanukkah
- Hanukkah dishes are fried
- Grand Army Plaza in New York
- Has the Largest Menorah in the World
- Hanukkah is not the most important Jewish holiday
- Harry Truman was the first president to celebrate Hanukkah
- Hanukkah can align with other holidays
Best Foods To Serve During The Hanukkah
Here are some of the best foods that you need to serve if you are celebrating the Hanukkah festival:
- Latkes
- Beef brisket
- Roasted chicken
- Kugel
- Matzo ball soup
- Rugelach
- Sufganiyot
- Challah
- Hanukkah gelt
- Knish
- Jewish Brisket
In case we missed out any good foods to serve during the Hanukkah, please do let us know so we can make some changes in this article as fast as we can and add those foods!
The History Of The Hanukkah
One of the most searched and asked questions about Hanukkah is why it’s celebrated. The answer to that is the fact that the Hanukkah commemorates the Maccabean Revolt against the Syrian and Greek Army. According to history, Mattathias the Hasmonean started the revolt by refusing to worship the Greek gods. After the win, this day was celebrated. Hanukkah basically celebrates Judah Maccabee’s victory over the Seleucids.
Also an amazing fact about the Menorah is that the victorious Maccabees only managed to find an amount of oil to keep the Menorah lit for one night, however, the Menorah managed to miraculously stay lit for 8 straight nights, hence the 8 day and night long celebration.
Disclaimer
We would like to clear out that the main goal of this article is to educate internet users across the globe on what the Hanukkah is about. We do not mean to discriminate or violate the beliefs of anyone. In case any of the information that we listed about the Hanukkah is wrong or needs to get updated, please do let us know so we can make some changes in the article right away!
Do you think we missed out on anything important in the Hanukkah festival? Let us know what we missed out about it by leaving a comment in the comments section below so we can update this article as fast as we can.
