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[00:00.04]Hanukkah is Judaism's "festival of lights."

[00:06.60]On eight straight nights, Jews come together

[00:11.04]with family and friends at the end of daylight

[00:15.44]to light one additional candle in the menorah.

[00:20.80]A menorah is a lamp or candle holder

[00:24.68]used in Jewish religious ceremonies.

[00:28.68]It usually has eight branches,

[00:32.16]with a ninth place for the candle called shamash

[00:36.60]from which all the others are lit.

[00:41.52]In Hebrew, Hanukkah means "dedication."

[00:46.80]The holiday marks the rededication

[00:49.92]of the Temple in Jerusalem about 2500 years ago.

[00:56.36]That was the time a small group of Jewish fighters

[01:00.72]took it back from occupying foreign forces.

[01:05.52]The fighters found a very small supply of oil

[01:09.64]in the religious building, or temple,

[01:12.96]and used it to keep a menorah lit for eight days.

[01:19.08]Their practice of lighting a nightly candle

[01:23.16]and cooking foods like potato pancakes

[01:27.12]called latkes, serve to remember the event.

[01:31.76]The dates of the holiday

[01:33.72]are based on the Hebrew month of Kislev,

[01:37.40]which usually falls sometime in November

[01:41.56]or December in the Gregorian calendar.

[01:45.88]This year, Hanukkah is being celebrated

[01:49.68]from December 7 through December 15.

[01:55.24]There are different branches of Judaism,

[01:58.48]like Reform, Conservative and Orthodox.

[02:03.24]But they all celebrate the holiday

[02:07.20]by bringing light into the darkness

[02:10.84]and remembering that even a small

[02:14.80]and unlikely-to-succeed effort

[02:18.52]can make great change.

[02:21.84]The Talmud is Judaism's central religious book.

[02:27.12]Within it, there is a dispute

[02:30.36]over the order of lighting.

[02:33.52]But even with that dispute,

[02:36.64]most start with one candle

[02:39.96]and increase the lighting

[02:42.24]by one more candle each night

[02:45.44]while saying religious blessings.

[02:49.32]The candles are added from right to left,

[02:52.96]but lit from left to right on the menorah,

[02:57.24]thus always starting with the newest light.

[03:02.36]The tradition calls for candles with a real flame.

[03:07.20]But some also use electric ones in public areas,

[03:12.68]such as in hospitals, for safety reasons.

[03:17.36]A menorah is lit in each household

[03:21.64]and traditionallyis placed

[03:24.76]where it can be seen from the outside,

[03:28.20]such as a doorway or near a window.

[03:32.92]It represents the spreading of God's light to all nations.

[03:39.44]The lighting of menorahs in city streets

[03:42.72]and public areas, like parks or areas of interest,

[03:48.24]has become more common in recent years

[03:51.88]in countries around the world.

[03:55.52]In addition to menorah lightings,

[03:58.72]giving money to those in need and social works

[04:03.76]are also part of the celebration for many.

[04:07.80]This comes out of the belief

[04:11.08]that the Jewish people are called by God

[04:14.80]to help make the world better for all.

[04:19.44]I'm Caty Weaver.

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Words in This Story

festival – n. a special time or event when people gather to celebrate something

candle – n. wax that has been formed into a stick or another shape and has a string in the middle that can be burned

dedication – v. to officially make (something) a place for honoring or remembering a person or event

blessing – n.a short prayer

flame – n. the hot, glowing gas that can be seen when a fire is burning