Hanukkah

This Jewish festival of lights for eight days and nights is a "minor" holiday that has grown in stature, especially in the United States, due to its proximity to Christmas. The origins of the celebration are described in the book of Maccabees and come from a time when Israel was threatened with Greek (pagan) domination. It symbolically celebrates the continuation of Jewish thought, custom and religion over the years, despite outside influences.

After the Jewish temple was defiled by the Greeks (They set up statutes of the Greek gods and slaughtered a pig on the altar!), during its rededication, only a small quantity of oil was located for the lighting of the great candlestick. However, this oil continued to burn for eight days and nights: a miracle!

Hanukkah is a time of gift-giving, with candles on the menorah lit each successive night, until the eighth night when the candlestick is ablaze in light. Part of the many holidays of December, it fits in with the annual celebration of lights during this time of the year, as North America enters the cold dark nights of winter.