Happy Hanukkah – Jewish festival of lights
As well as Christmas, this time of year also brings the festival of Hanukkah. This is the Jewish Festival of Lights.
This year, Hanukkah began on the Sunday 18 December and ends on Monday 26 December. The festival lasts for eight days. Its origins date all the way back to 164 BC when Judah re-took the Holy Temple of Jerusalem, restoring and re-dedicating the temple to the Hebrew God.
Hanukkah, meaning ‘dedication’, commemorates the miracle of light that occurred during the restoration of the Holy Temple. There was only one vial of oil left to light the temple’s candelabrum, which seemed severely insufficient, but the candelabrum stayed lit for eight days, allowing more oil to be acquired to complete the full restoration and dedication of the temple.
During Hanukkah, it is tradition to have an eight-candle menorah in remembrance of this miraculous event, lighting a single candle each day to signify the eight days that the candelabrum stayed aflame for.
Hanukkah is seen as a ‘home holiday’, with no ritual taking place at the synagogue. Families celebrate Hanukkah at home with loved ones. Gifts are exchanged on the sixth night of Hanukkah between family and friends and many also make donations to charities.
We wish a happy Hanukkah to all our staff and service users who are observing the festival this month.
