Welcome to Hanukkah! Hanukkah starts on the 25th day in the Jewish month of Kislev, and ends on the second day of Tevet, which can happen in either November or December. Hanukkah can be written in two other ways; Hannuka, and Chanukah, and means dedication. Hanukkah is also called the festival of lights. To understand why it is called this, you have to go back in time about 2,000 years. During this time, Antiochus became ruler of Jerusalem. He forbid the Jews from worshipping their god at the temple, and then he converted the temple so that people could worship the Greek god Zeus. The high priest, Mattathias, and his five sons fought bravely against the king's soldiers and won back the temple. Everyone wanted to light the menorah, which is a candle holder. They searched the temple, but only one small jar of oil was found, only enough for one day. Miraculously, the menorah burned for 8 days! By that time, they had made up another batch of oil. Today, the Jewish light one candle of the menorah for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah, and remember the brave Jews who drove the king's men out of their temple. A menorah can hold nine candles, eight for all the days of Hanukkah, and one that is used to light the others. Family members exchange presents on each of the eight nights, and everyone eats foods that are cooked in oil to remember the small jar of oil that burned for so long.
