What is Hanukkah? - Jewish Religious Festival of Lights Explained

At the end of every year, Jewish people around the world gather to celebrate Hanukkah. Hanukkah is the Hebrew word for dedication, and its origins date back more than 2000 years.
The Jewish people lived in the Holy Land of Israel 2000 years ago. At first, the Persians and the Egyptian Greeks ruled the land and they allowed the Jewish people to follow their Torah traditions. But then King Antiochus the Fourth came along. He banned Jewish people from practicing their beliefs and forced them to worship his gods. A small group of Jews known as the Maccabees decided to rise up against the King and after a 3 year war the Maccabees claimed back Jerusalem. To celebrate, the temple’s Menorah, which is the Hebrew word for a lamp was lit with the only oil they could find. There was only enough for one day but miraculously the candles are said to have burned for 8 whole days. Which is why Hanukkah is now celebrated as an 8 day festival.
To mark the start of Hanukkah a special menorah known as a Hannukiah is lit. On the first night one candle is lit and so on until the 8th candle is lit on the final day of Hanukkah. Across the globe large Hanukkiahs are lit to celebrate the festival.
Another big part of Hanukkah is the food, which includes lots and lots of oily treats to remember the miracle of the oil in the temple.
The last tradition is playing with a spinning top known as a Dreidel. Basically you spin the dreidel and each side corresponds to a different action.
While a lot of kids do get presents on Hanukkah. For a lot of people across the globe and back here in Australia, Hanukkah is all about remembering an important event in the history of the Jewish faith and spending time together with your family.
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