What is Hanukkah? Also known as the Festival of Lights, the festival celebrates the rededication of Jersualem's Second Temple at the time of the Maccabean Revolt.
The holiday is observed for eight days and nights at a certain point from late November to late December due to differences between the Hebrew and Gregorian calendars. The festival is observed by lighting the candles in a candelabra known as a menorah. The menorah has eight candles, with a additional candle in the center called a shamash (meaning "attendant" in Hebrew). On every one of these eight nights, the shamash candle is used to light each of the other eight candles. These candles are a celebration of the Hanukkah miracle.
The holiday is also observed by eating foods cooked in oil like latkes, as well as dairy. There's also special songs for the occasion like the Ma'oz Tzur, and the Hallel prayer is recited. It's also customary for Jewish children to play with a spinning top-like toy known as the dreidel.
Hanukkah is celebrated all over the world, from the United States to India. I would also invite you all to read my review of The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold #14 (February 2012), which has a nice little story for the occasion that features a lesser-known DC hero.
Hope your Hanukkah is a wonderful one!
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