Holiday
Traditions
Celebrating the Festival of Lights
The Jewish celebration of Chanukah is often associated
temple was rededicated. But at the time of rededication, oil
with the Christian holiday of Christmas, but that association
needed to light the menorah was very low, roughly enough
has little to do with the significance of each holiday and
to keep the menorah lit for just one night. However, the oil
more to do with the timing. Each is celebrated at the end
stunningly lasted for eight days, enough time to prepare an
of the year when the holiday season has hit full swing. But
additional supply of oil for the menorah.
much like the story of Christmas, the story of Chanukah
is a rich one. The celebration of Chanukah has a deep
An eight-day festival was then declared to celebrate this
history that can be traced back to a successor of Alexander
miracle, and that festival is now known as Chanukah, which
the Great. Upon conquering Syria, Egypt and Palestine,
is often referred to as the “Festival of Lights.” Though
Alexander the Great allowed these lands to remain
Chanukah is not as religiously significant as the Jewish
relatively autonomous, a gesture that extended to allowing
holidays of Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah and Passover, many
residents of these conquered lands to observe their own
Jewish people still look forward to the holiday and its
religions. However, more than 100 years later, Antiochus
traditions.
IV, a less tolerant successor of Alexander, began to oppress
the Jewish people under his control, desecrating their