During December 18th to the 25th, Hanukkah is celebrated in many Jewish families around the world. Hanukkah originated from Jerusalem and in 168 BCE, an empire called the Seleucid Empire was ruling over Jerusalem at the time. King Antiochus IV, the king of the empire at the time, prohibited people from practicing the Jewish religion. He instead placed altars of Zeus, the Olympian Greek Gods, and other things against the Jewish religion on display. Then an army of a couple of Jewish people came and disagreed with these ideas; they were known as the Maccabees. They were able to defeat the Seleucid Empire and got rid of the Zeus and Olympic altar and built a new one. During the same time of that happening people said that a miracle happened. They only had enough olive oil to light up the temple for 1 night and it lasted 8 nights. They decided to make a holiday after all the amazing things that happened to them. It was called Hanukkah and it would last for 8 days and nights. There is another version of Hanukkah, but some events here are not included.
Maccabees Revolution:
People celebrate this holiday is by using Hanukkah menorahs. You place the menorah on the table mostly facing the window and place a candle on your right-hand side. You have to use and light the shamash candle that is going to light up the candle on the right. They usually recite prayers then light the candle and put it on the top of the menorah, in the shamash holder. They usually recite a prayer again, leaving the candles burning for 30 minutes. On the next day, the candle in the menorah holder goes down next to the one on the right, and then a new candle lights everything up. This will continue till the menorah is full. You can play the dreidel game during this time too. It's like a gambling game that has been used in many other countries in the world. Each side of the dreidel has different meanings of how much to take or put. There are many more things to do during Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a holiday that celebrates the miracle of the candle that remained lit for 8 days.
By: Anonymous - 802