What Is Hanukah and How Is It Celebrated?

Hanukah (also spelled Hanukkah or Chanukah) is an eight-day Jewish festival that commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean revolt. It is celebrated by lighting a nine-branched menorah called a hanukkiah on each of the eight nights, adding one candle per night, and by eating fried foods, playing the dreidel game, and exchanging gifts or gelt. The holiday is observed in the winter, beginning on the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev, so the exact Gregorian date shifts from year to year.

Where Hanukah Comes From

The story behind the holiday is a combination of historical events and a well-known legend.

• The Maccabean revolt: A small group of Jewish fighters, led by the Maccabees, resisted the Seleucid Greek ruler Antiochus IV, who had desecrated the Temple and suppressed Jewish practice. Against larger forces, they reclaimed the Temple.
• The rededication: After the victory, the Temple was cleansed and rededicated to Jewish worship. This is the event Hanukah itself commemorates.
• The miracle of the oil: According to tradition, only enough ritually pure oil was found to keep the Temple's menorah burning for one day, yet it lasted eight days. That is why the festival lasts eight nights.

The word Hanukah means "dedication," which points directly back to the rededication of the Temple.

How Hanukah Is Celebrated

The central practice is the nightly candle lighting, but several customs surround it.

Lighting the Hanukkiah

A hanukkiah holds eight candles in a row plus a helper candle, the shamash, set apart (usually higher or lower). On the first night one candle is lit; on each following night one more is added, until all eight are burning on the final night. The candles are placed from right to left and lit from left to right, with the shamash used to light the others. Blessings are recited before the candles are lit, and the hanukkiah is traditionally placed in a doorway or window so the light is visible from outside.

Traditional Foods

Because the miracle involved oil, fried foods are the signature of the holiday:

• Latkes — potato pancakes fried in oil, often served with applesauce or sour cream.
• Sufganiyot — jelly-filled doughnuts, a particularly popular Hanukah treat.

The Dreidel and Gelt

A four-sided spinning top called a dreidel (sevivon in Hebrew) is used in a game played for coins, nuts, or chocolate gelt. Each side carries a Hebrew letter, and the letters are an acronym for the phrase "A great miracle happened there." Chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil, known as Hanukah gelt, are a common gift, especially for children.

Gifts and Giving

Gift-giving has become a widespread modern custom, particularly in communities where Hanukah falls near other winter holidays. Many families give small gifts on each night rather than one large present.

Hanukah Items You Will See in a Judaica Store

If you are shopping for the holiday, these are the categories that typically appear, and Judaica Depot lists Hanukah among its main departments alongside Shabbat, Mezuzot, Passover, Kippot, and Tallitot:

A Judaica store such as Judaica Depot groups these items under a dedicated Hanukah category, which makes it easier to find a menorah, candles, and gifts in one place rather than sourcing them separately.

Common Points of Confusion

• Hanukah is not a "Jewish Christmas." It is a minor festival in the Jewish calendar in terms of religious obligation, though it has become culturally prominent.
• The hanukkiah is not the same as the seven-branched Temple menorah. The Temple menorah has seven branches; the Hanukah version has nine (eight plus the shamash).
• The spelling varies. Hanukah, Hanukkah, and Chanukah all refer to the same holiday; the differences come from transliterating Hebrew into English.
• The date moves. Because it follows the Hebrew calendar, Hanukah begins on a different Gregorian date each year, always in late autumn or winter.

If your goal is simply to understand the holiday, the essentials are the eight nights of candle lighting, the fried foods, the dreidel, and the story of the Temple's rededication. If your goal is to observe it, you will need a hanukkiah, candles, and a place to set it where the light can be seen.