Hanukkah

It can be difficult to remember how to spell the word Hanukkah because it has many valid spellings. It is a transliteration, meaning that it’s transcribed from a different alphabet (in this case, Hebrew).

How to spell Hanukkah: By far, the most commonly used spelling is Hanukkah—with one n and two k’s. The spelling Chanukah is also somewhat commonly used. But there are also several other spellings that are considered valid, including Chanoukah and Hannukah.

Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish festival that commemorates the rededication of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century b.c.e. It usually occurs in December but can also happen in late November and can extend into January.

It can also be spelled Chanukah. It is sometimes called the Feast of Dedication—the word Hanukkah is commonly interpreted as meaning “a dedication” in Hebrew.

More commonly, it’s referred to as the Festival of Lights (or Feast of Lights). That’s because Hanukkah is observed with the lighting of a multi-branched candelabrum called the menorah (or hanukiah or chanukiah). When it has nine candles, one of them is a “starter” (technically called the shammes) that’s used to light the other eight candles. One candle is lit on each subsequent evening of the celebration, until all are lit. Special prayers may be said during the lighting of each candle or at different times of each day.

The tradition of lighting the menorah during Hanukkah is done to commemorate the story of a miracle. According to the story, when the Temple was rededicated, its lamps burned miraculously for a week, even though there was not enough oil to fuel them.

The rededication of the Temple occurred after Judea was liberated from Syrian occupation by the Maccabees, a family of Jews led by Judas Maccabaeus. They defeated the Syrians under Antiochus IV around 165 b.c.e.

Common ways of celebrating Hanukkah include giving gifts to children and loved ones, having family dinners, and eating special foods like latkes. Children sometimes play games with a traditional toy called a dreidel, a kind of four-sided top.

Example: I love spending Hanukkah with my family and lighting the menorah each night!

The timing of Hanukkah is based on the Jewish calendar and varies from year to year. It is celebrated on the 25th day of the month of Kislev to the 2nd of Tevet. This most often corresponds to an eight-day period in December.

In 2023, Hanukkah will begin on the evening of December 7 and end on the evening of December 15. In 2024, Hanukkah will begin on the evening of December 25 and end on the evening of January 2, 2025.

Various spellings of the word Hanukkah have been used in English since at least the 1600s. It comes from the Hebrew word ḥănukkāh, which is thought to mean “a dedicating” or “a dedication.”

Hanukkah is thousands of years old, but it’s not one of the holidays mentioned in the canonical Jewish scriptures (the events it commemorates occurred after the writing of the Torah). Instead, it is based on rabbinic tradition. In the context of the Jewish religion, it is not considered one of the most important Jewish holy days. However, it is now celebrated by Jews all over the world, and it is especially popular among Jews in the United States. Hanukkah is also one of the most well-known Jewish holidays among people who are not Jewish, especially due to the fact that it often falls around the Christian holiday of Christmas, making it part of the “holiday season,” especially in the U.S.

What are some other forms related to Hanukkah?

• Chanukah (alternate spelling)

What are some synonyms for Hanukkah?

• Festival of Lights
• Feast of Dedication
• Feast of Lights

What are some words that share a root or word element with Hanukkah? 

• hanukiah

What are some words that often get used in discussing Hanukkah?

• Jewish
• holiday
• happy
• menorah
• dreidel
• dedication
• Temple
• December
• latke

Hanukkah is a time of celebration for Jews and is well-known even among people who are not Jewish.

Almost the end of Hanukkah :( Lighting the menorah gives me a sense of peace. Should do Shabbat more often because I get that same feeling

— Sara Robbins, APR (@saraxmazing) December 17, 2009

Hanukkah is coming!! The only thing I'd add is that while this is great for Jewish kids of Color, it's also great for white Jewish kids to learn from a young age that white =/= normative in Jewish families.https://t.co/B6J39e7Uq2

— Rabbi Emily Cohen (@ThatRabbiCohen) November 24, 2020

appreciation tweet for the rugrats hanukkah special!!! it’s hard to find jewish representation in the media around the holiday season so this episode has always been really sentimental to me :) pic.twitter.com/20JQBGWnnL

— prince of cats (@haleymailender) December 1, 2020

True or False? 

Hanukkah always takes place on the same eight days in December.