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Every year, families and friends get together to celebrate the Festival of Lights (a.k.a. Hanukkah). Most people are familiar with lighting the menorah and what this holiday celebrates, but there is actually a lot more to this religious holiday that you probably don’t know about. Hanukkah is celebrated around the world and when you dig deeper into the history of this holiday, you may just learn a few interesting facts about Hanukkah that might surprise you.
If you are wondering when Hanukkah is this year, it begins on November 28, 2021 and ends on December 6, 2021. So once you mark your calendars, decorate the house with tons of white and blue and have your menorah candles picked out, it’s time for the festivities to begin! Make your favorite Hanukkah recipes (like potato latkes) and bust out your favorite games to play with everyone. Whether you are new to celebrating Hanukkah or want to brush up on your knowledge around the religious holiday, here are some fascinating facts about Hanukkah.
1
It all started with the Maccabean Revolt …
Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century B.C., according to History.com. Legend says that when a leader outlawed Judaism back then, a group of followers revolted. It became known as the Maccabean Revolt.
2
… Which inspired the holiday’s name.
Remember the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem? That’s where the holy day gets its name. In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication.”
3
The Jewish rebels won the revolt, but then they faced another challenge.
They needed to burn a candelabra for eight days in order to rededicate their temple. According to NPR, they only had enough oil to burn the candle for one night. But miraculously, the oil lasted long enough for them to reclaim the temple.
4
And that’s why Hanukkah is an eight-day celebration of the “miracle of the oil.”
On each night of the holiday, one additional candle (starting from the right side) is lit from the center “Shamash” candle, according to Chabad. In total, 44 candles are lit throughout Hanukkah, but most candle packages for your menorah will come with eight.
5
Hanukkah can align with other holidays.
Because the Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, Hanukkah isn’t on the same date every year. The celebration always begins on the 25th of Kislev, meaning it typically falls in November or December of the Gregorian calendar — the same season as Thanksgiving and Christmas.
6
But unlike Christmas, there’s traditionally no gift-giving on Hanukkah.
7
Children win gelt by spinning dreidels.
Dreidels are four-sided spinning tops with a Hebrew letter printed on each side representing the phrase “A Great Miracle Happened There,” My Jewish Learning says. Each player spins the dreidel — then depending on the letter it falls on, they either win or lose varied amounts of gelt.
8
Traditional Hanukkah foods involve lots of oil and/or cheese …
It’s all because the holiday celebrates oil. The most popular recipes include latkes (fried potato pancakes), according to My Jewish Learning. Flavors can range from sweet to salty, and they’re often served with applesauce or sour cream.
9
… Including dessert!
One of the most popular dishes are homemade donuts called sufganiyot. Traditionally they’re filled with jelly, though some creative recipes add chocolate or caramel.
Get the recipe for Sufganiyot >>
10
Chanukah and Hanukkah are technically both correct spellings.
The latter is the most popular variation nowadays. According to Dictionary.com, there are multiple ways of spelling it because of transliteration, which is when you translate a language that uses different characters or symbols into another language. The name of the Jewish holiday comes from Hebrew, so the spelling doesn’t have an exact equivalent in English.
11
The Torah doesn’t mention Hanukkah at all.
The Maccabean Revolt occurred after the Torah was written, so neither Hanukkah nor the events that led to it are in the sacred book, according to History.com. Other Jewish holidays like Passover and Rosh Hashanah typically hold more significance.
12
An astronaut once celebrated Hanukkah in space.
In 1993, Jeff Hoffman brought a travel-size menorah and spun a dreidel while on the Space Shuttle Endeavour to restore the Hubble Space Telescope. His mini Hanukkah celebration was broadcast over satellite for people back on Earth to see.
13
The National Menorah is lit every year in Washington D.C.
It’s also 30 feet tall, and you need a cherry picker to get to the top!
Amina Lake Abdelrahman, Good Housekeeping Institute
Editorial Assistant
Amina is an editorial assistant at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she works with lab experts (who test all the latest products) and writes original content based on their recommendations.
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