Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that lasts eight days and nights. Hanukkah means dedication in Hebrew and the holiday is celebrated on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar, which is around November or December. In 165 B.C.E. the Jewish victory over the Hellenist Syrians caused the rededication to the holy Temple in Jerusalem. This is the event that Hanukkah is in remembrance of. Then shortly after the Greek King of Syria ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods and forbade any Jewish rituals. Then in 168 B.C.E. the Greeks seized the holy Temple and devoted it to the worship of Zeus. Most Jews were angry with the Greek soldiers and decided to fight back, however there were some who obeyed out of fear. There was a lot of bloodshed and murder. One Greek officer murdered a man and his five children, which caused the villagers to attacked and kill the soldiers. The Jews tried to attack the Greeks as much as they could. When some of the Jewish people returned the to the holy Temple they found that many things were broken. Once they fixed and cleaned the Temple, they decided to have a dedication ceremony. The people wanted to light the golden menorah for this celebration, however, they could not find any oil. They then stumbled across a small flask that contained only enough oil to light the menorah for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days. Today Jews celebrate Hanukkah for eight days by lighting candles in a menorah every night; remembering the eight-day miracle.

Source:

"Hanukkah Story - History.com - Origins of the Jewish Holiday." The History Channel - Home Page. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. .