When Is Hanukkah Celebrated?
Jewish holiday Hanukkah honours the rededication of the Second Temple following Jerusalem’s recapture from the Seleucid Empire at the start of the Maccabean Revolt in the second century BCE. The First and Second Maccabees books contain information about the history of Hanukkah. They go into great depth on the lighting of the menorah and the…
Jewish holiday Hanukkah honours the rededication of the Second Temple following Jerusalem’s recapture from the Seleucid Empire at the start of the Maccabean Revolt in the second century BCE.
The First and Second Maccabees books contain information about the history of Hanukkah. They go into great depth on the lighting of the menorah and the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple. The Masoretic Text translation of the Tanakh, which is considered to be the authoritative version, does not include these volumes.
The Maccabees were one of the deuterocanonical writings that were added to the Septuagint, a Jewish scholarly Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible that was first written in the middle of the third century BCE.
When Is Hanukkah Celebrated?
Hanukkah, which means “dedication” in Hebrew, is a festival that lasts for eight nights and days starting on the 25th of Kislev, which, according to the Gregorian calendar, can fall anywhere between late November and late December.
The celebration is commemorated by lighting the candles on a candelabrum with nine branches, commonly known as a menorah or hanukkiah. Typically, the candle on the branch that is above or below the others is lighted first, followed by the candles on the other eight branches. A unique variety of candles is the shamash candle.
In 2022, the first and last nights of Hanukkah fall on December 18 and 26, respectively.
