In Hebrew, Hanukkah means dedication This holiday commemorates the rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the

e Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C.E. Falls on 25th day of Kislev.

Celebrated for eight days.

It is popular due to its proximity to Christmas in terms of date. Traditional colors are blue, white and silver

Jewish temple seized by Syrian-Greek armies. It is used as worship for god Zeus

He killed the volunteer and soldiers. Hid and eventually succeeded in retaking their lands from the Greeks

Returned to the temple which is not pure anymore as there have been worship of foreign god and wrongful practices

Jews were afraid to fight back.

A High Priest, Mattathias refused to commit sins and a villager volunteered to do it for him.

Determined to purify the temple by burning the ritual oil in temples menorah for 8 days

Antiochus made Judaism a crime that is punishable by death.

Jewish resistance begins at Modiin. They were forcibly gathered and forced to commit practices forbidden by Judaism

Only discovered one days worth of oil. Still, they lit the menorah and to their surprise it lasted for full 8 days.

Lighting the Hanukkiyah

Endeavoring Fried Foods

Playing Dreidel

An extra candle is lighted each day from left to right with the newest candle at the leftmost.

Candles are lit with a servant candle, shamash which is located at the middle at slightly greater in height than the other eight candleholder.

It is a custom to light hanukiyyah next to window to remind passerby of the event.

It is forbidden to use the light of hanukiyyah for other purposes such as to light the dinner table or to read.

To remind Jewish people of the miracle of the oil during the event

Sugfaniya
Fried jelly-filled donut that are sometimes finished with confectioners sugar.

Latkes
Fried pancake made from mashed potatoes and shredded onions. Served with applesauce

Originated from the German word "drehen" = to turn. In Hebrew it is referred to as "sevivon," that comes from root word "savov" = "to turn."

Origin- a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side used as camouflage to pretend they are gambling as Jews did not want the soldiers to know they are studying the Torah.

Letters present are (Nun), (Gimmel), (Hay) and (Shin), which is congregated to form a Hebrew phrase "Nes Gadol Haya Sham. that gives the meaning "A great miracle happened there [in Israel]."

Each player is given an equal number of chocolate coins (10-15) . Players are required to put one piece into a container located at the center.

Take turns spinning the dreidel . Follows the instructions according to the meaning of letter that faces upwards.

Gimmel means "ganz" = "everything, the spinner gets everything in the pot. Hay means "halb" = "half" , the spinner gets half of the pot. Nun means "nichts" = "nothing, the spinner does nothing. Shin means "shtel" = "put in" , the player adds a game piece to the pot.

If a player runs out of piece, he or she is disqualified.