Transcript We also want to say Happy Hanukkah to everyone today and answer some basic questions many non-Jewish people may have about the holiday.
First and foremost Hanukkah is not a Jewish Christmas.
Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the second Temple in Jerusalem in the 160s BC.
When the altar was rebuilt, part of the dedication included relighting the menorahs.
The soldiers only had enough oil to light the menorah for a single night but miraculously the oil lasted eight full nights.
That's why Hanukkah is often referred to as "The Festival of Lights" and lasts eight nights.
Since Jewish holiday dates are determined by the ancient Hebrew calendar, Hanukkah tends to fall somewhere between late November and late December.
Many modern Jewish families celebrate by lighting the Hanukkiah, one candle per night of Hanukkah from right to left, like Hebrew is read.
People might also play dreidel games and eat certain foods like sufganiyot, similar to a jelly doughnut and latkes, fried potato pancakes.
Both foods are fried in oil, commemorative of the miracle of the eight-day burning oil.
The Closed Caption version of this video can be found here:
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