As December rolls around, holidays from all different religious and cultural backgrounds come with it. Holidays, like Hanukkah, are well-known, but people often overlook the great celebrations and festivities that surround it. 

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the rededication of the holy temple after it was taken by the Seleucid king. Hanukkah is also known as the festival of lights because of the miracle of the oil, which refers to the little bit of oil remaining that lasted the menorah all eight days after the Jews took back the Promised Land and rededicated the temple. Jews come together on this day to celebrate this miracle.

There are many things Jews use to celebrate Hanukkah, but the most important is the menorah. A menorah is a candelabra with eight branches that Jews use for religious rituals. Each night, one more candle is lit from left to right using the fire from the shamash, the central candle. This symbolizes the miracle of the oil. After the Jews rededicated their temple, there was only a small amount of oil left to light the candles. By some miracle, the amount of oil that was only supposed to last one day ended up lasting eight days and brought hope and prosperity to the Jews. 

Apart from the menorah, Hanukkah is celebrated with other traditions including food. A popular food eaten on Hanukkah is potato latkes, which are crispy potato pancakes fried in olive oil. These can be eaten with sour cream or applesauce. Another popular Hanukkah food is Sufganiyots, a donut fried in olive oil before being filled with jam or custard and topped with powdered sugar. 

Another way Hanukkah is celebrated is through dances, games, and presents. One game commonly played on Hanukkah is the dreidel, a game where a four-sided spinning top with Hebrew letters on each side is spun and players win or lose pieces depending on the letter they land on. Jews also celebrate Hanukkah by giving small gifts to each other every day of the 8-day celebration or on the first day. 

Howard Goldberg, an economics teacher at Rock Ridge, is a member of the Jewish community. As a kid, Goldberg loved Hanukkah and everything that came with it. “We always exchanged a couple of gifts on the eight days of Hanukkah, and I would always sneak around trying to find what my parents got me,” Goldberg said. Traditional food eaten during Hanukkah is usually cooked in oil to symbolize the oil used for the candles on the menorah. “As a kid, I always ate potato pancakes called latke, which were much better with sour cream than applesauce,” Goldberg said.

Even though Christmas is the most popular holiday celebrated in December, Hanukkah is just as important and meaningful with its beautiful culture and history. “Seeing everyone walking around with their ugly Christmas sweaters — I was happy wearing my Hanukkah sweater,” Goldberg said. 

Even with the overlap of so many holidays during the winter season, Hanukkah still continues to be recognized as an important holiday for Jews all over the world.  As Hanukkah traditions spread throughout the world, the celebration continues to grow as people share their cultures for others to recognize and enjoy.