Around this time of year, people start to put up their Christmas lights, sing carols and write their wish lists to Santa. However, this is not the case for a select number of people. For some people, if the calendars align, this is the season of the festival of lights, better known to my gentile friends as Channukkah. 

Channukkah begins on the 25th day of Kislev and lasts for eight days. The Hebrew and Gregorian calendars do not coincide, causing Channukkah to change dates every year. According to the Gregorian calendar, the eight days of Channukkah occur in November or December, changing every year. 

This celebration began in 165 BC due to a miracle performed by a lamp. A group of seven Jewish sons and their mother, known as the Maccabees, returned after a long battle to find their temple in ruins. They had limited supplies and were waiting for a delivery of food, clothes, water and oil for their lamps. They had enough oil to burn for only a single night but their supplies were due to arrive in eight days. The group was surprised to witness the lamp burning for all eight nights. 

This prolonged burning was caused by the eternal light of G-d, the same eternal light that instructed Moses on top of Mount Sinai. We remember this miracle each year. 

Modern celebrations of Channukkah replace the lamp with a special candelabra called a Menorah. Menorahs have nine candles, one for each night of Channukkah and the "shamash" or servant candle. Each night, an additional candle is added to the menorah and lit by the servant candle. Celebrants light the servant candle first and place the remaining candles right to left and lit left to right by the servant candle. Each night, the candles are left to burn themselves out, and a new candle replaces them every night. By the end of Channukkah, celebrants will use 44 candles in total. 

On each night of Channukkah, a prayer is said, and the candles are lit, usually by the children with a little help. On the Shabat, or holy night (Friday) during Channukkah, a special prayer is given before the lighting of the candles. Once the candles are lit, each person receives a small gift. Gifts are more commonly given only to younger family members. 

On the final night of Channukkah, the whole family eats dinner together. The meal consists of only kosher foods such as Matzo Ball Soup, Kosher Brisket, Challah, Latkes, and Manischewitz wine for the adults. After dinner, many gifts are given to the entire family. 

A few things are a big no during Channukkah. The most obvious rule is no unkosher food, but what does this mean? Kosher food does not contain meat that has not been blessed by a rabbi. Kosher food excludes all animals unless they have cloven hooves and chew their cud. It is probably surprising to learn that you are forbidden to fast during these days, and unlike many Jewish holidays, work is not prohibited. 

To wrap up, Channukkah is a celebration that comes but once a Hebrew year. It was started many, many years ago by a miracle and is still celebrated in millions of homes around the world, each replicating the miracle of the lamp with their own Menorahs. I hope this article has taught you about these joyous days. 

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