Chanukah

Hanukkah, more known as Chanukah, also known as the Festival of Lights, Feasts of Dedication, and the Feast of Maccabeess is an annul festival of the Jewish people, celebrated on eight straight days. The Hanukkah celebration starts on the 25th of December or the month Kislev, third month in the Jewish calendar year.
The tale of Hanukkah is entwined with a struggle for religious freedom that took place about two thousand years ago. The foreign ruler of the Israelites declared that the Jews were to bow down to the image of their ruler, Antiochus, whose status was erected in the Temple. Under Jewish theology Jews are forbidden by the laws of God to bow to statues or idols. Inspired by Mattathias and led by his son Judah, a small group called Maccabees rebelled, risking their lives to follow the Jewish law and prevent the desecration of the sacred Temple. Even though the Maccabees won, the Temple was destroyed. The Jews then went about cleaning and repairing the Temple. When they were finished they rededicated it to God by rekindling the menorah, the candelabrum symbolizing the eternal covenant between God and the Jewish people and the continuity of tradition through the generations. But there was only enough olive oil to fuel the menorah for one night, and it would have taken eight days to make more oil. The legend of the miracle at Hanukkah says that the one day supply of oil burned for eight days and nights until more oil could be made.
On the first night of Hanukkah, one light is lit. On every night a light is added until the eighth night, when all the lights are lit. The addition of light recalls the greatness and growth of the miracle. Candles are placed in the menorah from right to left, but lit from left to right. The highest candle, known as the Shamash or “servant”, is used to light the other candles. Blessings are recited each night before the lights are lit and small gifts are given to children.
When the tradition first started, olive oil was used in the menorahs, but over time, candles were substituted. In the ancient days the menorahs were made of clay, consisting of small, pearl-shaped vessels, each with their own wick, which were arranged side by side. Today’s menorah stands on a base from which the branches sprout, resembling the holy
Temples’ menorah.