From the evening of December 18 to December 26, the Jews celebrate Hanukkah

It is called “the festival of light” and “the festival of lights”

From the 25th day of the month of Kislev of the Jewish calendar, the followers of Judaism will celebrate Hanukkah – a holiday established in memory of the cleansing of the Jerusalem Temple and the resumption of service in 165 BC. e. According to the Gregorian calendar in 2022, Hanukkah is celebrated from the evening of December 18 to the evening of December 26.

The Temple in Jerusalem was the center of the religious life of the Jewish people between the 10th century BC and the 1st century AD. It plays a huge role in Judaism, and after its appearance it became the only permitted place for sacrifices, which were offered by Kohanim and Levites. After a period of conquest by Alexander the Great, around 332 BC, Judea fell under Greek rule. For a long time, the Hellenistic kings treated the Temple with respect and sent rich gifts there, but in 169 BC, the Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who ruled at that time, invaded its territory. He confiscated the precious temple vessels, and two years later he defiled the temple by placing a small altar of Olympian Zeus on the Altar of Burnt Offering.

Soon Judas Maccabeus rebelled against Antiochus Epiphanes. He won several victories and achieved peace, during which he cleansed the Jerusalem temple, set up a new Altar of burnt offering, and made new utensils for the sanctuary. Exactly three years after the desecration of the Temple by the Syrians, it was consecrated, and sacrifices and the lighting of the menorah were resumed in it.

Jews believe that after the cleansing of the Temple, Judas Maccabee and his warriors found only one small jar of ritually pure oil, which would be suitable for lighting the menorah. It was so small that it could only last one day of burning the menorah, but it burned for eight days – that’s how long it took to make new clean oil. This event is remembered as the miracle of Hanukkah, and in memory of it this holiday is celebrated for eight days.

The name of the holiday is translated from Hebrew as “renewal”. Hanukkah is also called the “feast of lights” and the “feast of light”, and in Russia – the “bright holiday of Hanukkah”. One of its main traditions is the lighting of candles in a lamp called Hanukkah in memory of a miracle that the Jews believe in. On the first day of Hanukkah, one candle is lit, on the second day two, and so on. On the eighth day eight candles are lit. For ignition, another candle is used, called a shamash. In total, 44 candles are used for Hanukkah.

Hanukkah and Purim sometimes referred to as “children’s” holidays. One of the reasons is that their celebration was established not by the Torah, but by the teachers of the law, which is why these days are working days in Israel, but schoolchildren are allowed to miss classes on them. In addition, both holidays are considered one of the “most fun” in Judaism. On Hanukkah, it is customary to remember how glad the Jews were to return to observing their traditions. Also among the Jews of Central Europe there is a tradition to give money to children on Hanukkah. They got the name “Hanukah-gelt”, which is translated from Yiddish as “Hanukkah money”.

The festive table is not a mandatory attribute of Hanukkah from the point of view of the prescriptions of Judaism, however, there is a tradition to arrange a meal on these days. During cooking, it is customary to use a large amount of oil, which is intended to symbolize a jug of oil that burned for eight days. A traditional Hanukkah dish is sufganiyot – donuts in powdered sugar with fruit or chocolate filling. In addition, a popular Hanukkah treat is potato pancakes called latkes, which are usually eaten with apple mousse or sour cream.

The Jewish annual calendar is lunar-solar, due to which each calendar date always falls not only on the same season of the year, but also on the same phase of the moon. According to this calendar, a new day begins at sunset, and therefore the beginning of the holidays in Judaism falls on the evening.