HANUKKAH Definition & Meaning

Hanukkah

[ hah-nuh-kuh; khah‐Ashkenazic Hebrew khah-nuh-kuh; Sephardic Hebrew khah-noo-kah ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a Jewish festival lasting eight days, celebrated from the 25th day of the month of Kislev to the 2nd of Tevet in commemoration of the rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees following their victory over the Syrians under Antiochus IV, characterized chiefly by the lighting of the menorah on each night of the festival.

Hanukkah

/ ˈhɑːnəkə; xanuˈka; -nʊˌkɑː /

noun

the eight-day Jewish festival of lights beginning on the 25th of Kislev and commemorating the rededication of the temple by Judas Maccabaeus in 165 bc Also calledFeast of DedicationFeast of Lights

Hanukkah

A festival in Judaism that occurs each December. Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the Jews (see also Jews ) in the second century b.c. over the Syrians, who had occupied their country, and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem (see also Jerusalem ) ( hanukkah is Hebrew for “dedication”). Observers of Hanukkah light one candle in a candleholder called a menorah each night for eight nights in memory of a legend that, when the Temple was rededicated, its lamps burned, without enough oil, miraculously for a week.

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Notes

Hanukkah was formerly one of the less important Jewish festivals, but today it is celebrated by Jews in many parts of the world — especially the United States, where it overlaps with the celebration of Christmas .

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of Hanukkah¹

First recorded in 1890–95, Hanukkah is from the Hebrew word ḥăn�ܰ�� literally, “a dedicating”

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of Hanukkah¹

from Hebrew, literally: a dedication

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Yes, it comes at a price — Nikki gets booted from a play, loses her boyfriend, celebrates Hanukkah in the hallway of her apartment building — but so be it.

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Children who had been due to go back to classes on Monday after the Christmas and Hanukkah break were instead enjoying a snow day as school districts closed from Maryland to Kansas.

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“Hanukkah on the Rocks” airs on the Hallmark Channel Dec. 22, 26 and 31.

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Hanukkah begins on Christmas this year, marking a rare coincidence of the Jewish and Christian holidays, which occur according to different calendars.

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“I have no doubt we have enough candles for all eight nights,” says Sam, “just like the oil in the Hanukkah story.”

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