The month of December can bring joy to everyone around the world. Although Christmas is the most commercialized holiday during that month, Hanukkah is not as talked about…but why? The eight-day Jewish celebration remembers the events during the second century B.C. of the second temple in Jerusalem, where according to legend, Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt. Hanukkah falls in November or December and is celebrated by the lighting of the menorah, traditional foods, games, and gifts. 

  The events that inspired Hanukkah took place around 200 B.C. Antiochus III was the king of Syria and allowed Jews to practice their religion in peace. Antiochus IV, (Antiochus III’s son) outlawed the Jewish religion and forced the people to worship greek gods. In 168 B.C., his soldiers came to Jerusalem and massacred thousands of people, including the Jews. The Second Temple in Jerusalem, which was considered one of the Jew’s holiest places, was broken into with an altar to Zeus being erected; they also sacrificed pigs within the sacred walls. 

  As a result of this, a Jewish priest created a rebellion with the Jews against Antiochus IV and his army. The Jewish priests’ son named Judah took over the rebellion after the death of his father. Within two years of Judah taking leadership, the army had run out of Jerusalem. After this, the Second Temple was cleansed, rebuilding its altar and the menorah was lit, each branch representing knowledge and creation. The menorah was only left to burn for one night. Judah and the other Jews who took part in the cleansing  witnessed a miracle that night. Even though the lighting of the menorah was only supposed to last one day, the candles stayed lit for eight days. After this happened, the Jews were inspired to create a holiday which would be yearly and last eight days in remembrance of the menorah lasting that long. 

  Most of the modern-day celebration of Hanukkah revolves around the lighting of the nine-branched menorah. On each night of Hanukkah, one candle is added to the menorah and lit after sundown. Jews typically proclaim blessings during the lightings and leave the menorah in the window to show others the miracle that inspired the holiday. Not only does the holiday last eight days, the feast and the presents are what make people so excited for this holiday. Traditional foods, such as potato pancakes (latkes) and jam filled donuts (sufganiyot), are  popular in Jewish households. Other Hanukkah customs include riddles and exchanging gifts. Although a religious holiday, it is definitely not as widely celebrated as Christmas due to very little restrictions on work, school, and other places. All the presents and food are things that come with the holiday, the real importance of Hanukkah is a celebration of how far Jews have come with their freedoms and their religion. Junior Skyler Wechsberg said, “The thing I am most excited about for Hanukkah this year is the time that I get to spend with my family. While materialistic things are nice, this is one of the holidays where my whole family gets together to celebrate and just have a good time.”