Facts About Hanukkah

Are you curious to learn some weird and wonderful facts about Hanukkah?

If so, excellent! You are in exactly the right place my friend…

It’s time to chat about Hanukkah facts.

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1 – Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem during 165 BCE.

2 – The word Hanukkah means “dedication” or “consecration.”

3 – The festival lasts eight days and nights every year, starting later November and ending early December, although the exact dates change every year. It always starts on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar.

4 – It was originally called “The Festival of Lights” because it commemorates how they were able to defeat their enemies by lighting up their temple with lamps during this time.

5 – A menorah (a nine-branched candelabrum) is used to light these candles and it usually has one extra candle called a shammus, which stays lit all night so that others can relight their candles from it if they blow out. Traditionally, these candles are lit from right to left and use olive oil instead of animal fat.

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6 – Hanukkah commemorates a military victory by the Jews over their enemies, led by Judas Maccabeus, who reclaimed Jerusalem and rededicated it as a temple in 165 BC

7 – The miracle of Hanukkah happened when a small jug of oil was found to last eight days instead of just one day’s supply during an attack on Judea

8 – A traditional Hanukkah food includes latkes (fried potato pancakes), sufganiyot (doughnuts filled with jelly or custard), and rugelach (pastries).

9 – Traditionally, each person lights their own candle and recites a blessing before lighting it.

10 – One tradition during Hanukkah is giving gifts to children – often small toys or food items like chocolate coins, nuts, dried fruit or candy canes

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11 – On each night of Hanukkah, one light – often an electric menorah with nine branches – is lit to commemorate one miracle God performed for our ancestors.

12 – First Miracle-An olive oil lamp was found still burning after it had been passed over by King Antiochus’ soldiers who had desecrated the temple.

13 – Second Miracle-The Jews were saved from a Syrian invasion when their enemies’ weapons became too hot to use because they were made with metal from melted down religious artifacts.

14 – The story behind Hanukkah is about how Judah Maccabee and his brothers overthrew the Seleucid Empire in 165 BC, which was trying to force them into Hellenism.

15 – The festival commemorates miracles that occurred in ancient times when a small jug of oil burned for eight nights.

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16 – One other Hanukkah tradition is playing dreidel games, where you spin around four sides of a spinning top or throw dice while betting money on each side.

17 – There are also many other traditions associated with Hanukkah including playing dreidels, giving gifts of gelt coins wrapped in foil or chocolate coins called chanuka kadachim, being extra charitable during the holiday season so as to increase one’s merit.

18 – A traditional latke is made with grated potatoes, onions, eggs, flour, salt and pepper.

19 – Gelt is an edible chocolate coin given out by relatives and friends as gifts to children for Hanukkah (a tradition started in Poland).

20 – In Israel, it’s customary to give children money on Hanukkah instead of gifts.

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21 – There is no mention of Hanukkah until well after its end date in rabbinic literature; it was not formally established as a holiday until about 300 CE by Rabbi Judah I (Judah the Patriarch).

22 – The most famous Hanukkah song is “Ma’oz Tzur,” which translates from Hebrew as “Strong Rock of my Salvation.”

23 – One tradition is called dreidel which involves spinning four-sided tops bearing different Hebrew letters that represent “Nun,” “Gimel,” “Hei” and “Shin.”

Players bet on whether they will win or lose based on how they spin their top; those who land Nun win nothing, those landing Gimel get half the pot, those landing Hei receive all but one coin from the pot while Shin players take everything for themselves.

24 – The first day of Hanukkah is called the festival of lights because it commemorates the victory over darkness by lighting candles and the victory over Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who had outlawed Judaism

25 – Each candle represents a different meaning – usually two meanings per candle, such as joy and happiness or hope and peace.

The last day of Hanukkah is called “the Festival of Rededication” because it celebrates the rededication/rebuilding/restoration by Judas Maccabeus after he defeated Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

Facts About Hanukkah – 25 Fun Hanukkah Facts To WOW You!