Cambridge, Ont. -  Lasting for eight nights and days starting this Sunday, December 18 until Monday, December 26 is the celebration of Hanukkah (also known as the Festival of Lights), the Jewish holiday commemorating the Jewish maccabis’ army and their successful revolt. 

In 175 B.C., King Antiochus made it illegal for people to practice Judaism. When they refused, he ordered his troops to destroy the Temple of Jerusalem, a holy place of worship for the Jewish people. Led by Judah the Maccabee, the Jewish people rebelled against King Antiochus. Historians believe they battled for three years to become an independent region so they could practice Judaism. When the Maccabees defeated these forces and returned to their ransacked temple, they found only one tiny jar of oil – just enough to light the temple’s candles for one day. The oil miraculously burned for eight days—enough time for the Maccabees to find more oil. 

Hanukkah is a holiday of happiness and levity. To celebrate the ancient miracle of the oil burning for eight nights, Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah light a candleholder called a hanukkiah for eight nights. Other customs include singing Hanukkah songs, playing with the dreidel (a four-sided spinning top), and exchanging gifts. Many Jewish people celebrate with foods cooked in oil such as potato pancakes called latkes and jelly donuts called sufganiyot. 

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