"Put on your yarmulke, it's time for Hanukkah, so much funnaka to celebrate Hanukkah!" Most people are familiar with Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song, but not everyone is as familiar with why Hanukkah is celebrated (especially those who aren't Jewish!). Let us help illuminate the meaning behind the "Festival of Lights" for you!

Hanukkah, a Jewish celebration lasting 8 days, begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar, which corresponds to November-December on the Gregorian calendar. The word "Hanukkah" (also spelled Chanukah) is Hebrew for "dedication". The holiday commemorates the reclaiming of the Temple in Jerusalem by Judas Maccabee in 165 B.C.E. and the "miracle of the container of oil."

The holiday stands as a remembrance of the survival of Judaism at a time when it was subject to oppression. Some 2,400 years ago, Palestine was under the control of a Hellenistic Syria. Jews were ordered to worship Greek gods and Jewish customs and rituals were outlawed. The Jewish holy Temple in Jerusalem, located near the village of Modiin, was seized by Syrian King Antiochus IV Epiphanes and defiled when he declared it a temple to the Greek god Zeus.

Hanukkah celebrates the event of Judah Maccabee reclaiming the Temple and the rededication ceremony with Menorah lighting that he organized. Maccabee led a small group of soldiers to rebel against the Syrians. They were successful in recapturing Jerusalem and the Temple three years after Antiochus had taken control. Maccabee cleansed the Temple and wanted to rededicate it to God with a ceremony that included a lighting of the Menorah but could only find one jar of sanctified oil, only enough to burn for one day. This oil was used for the lighting and miraculously burned for eight days, which happens to correspond to the time that was needed to obtain another jar of purified oil. A candle is lit each of the eight nights of Hanukkah to commemorate this miracle.

The Menorah, called the Hanukiyah in Israel, has place holders for 9 candles arranged in a candelabra. There is one candle for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah and one (centrally located at a different height than the other eight) that is used to light the other candles. On the first night of Hanukkah, one candle is lit, on the second night, two candles, and so on for all eight nights. The candles are lit each night from left to right while a blessing is said. Hanukkah is also commonly known as the Festival of Lights, a name inspired by the Menorah and it's importance to the holiday.

Hanukkah is a festive holiday that includes a tradition of special foods, games, and gifts. Many of the dishes prepared for Hanukkah are cooked in oil to commemorate the miracle oil Maccabee used in the Temple rededication. Latkes and doughnuts, both fried in oil, are popular. Latkes are potato pancakes and are often served with applesauce or sour cream as a dipping sauce. In addition to paying homage to oil, latkes serve as a reminder of what Maccabee and his soldiers would eat when going in to battle. The pancakes were an easy and quick meal for the soldiers, although they were not made of potatoes back then, as the tuber wasn't available in that region in 165 B.C.E.
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