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Hanukkah (or Chanukah, if you prefer) is an eight-day long Jewish religious festival that usually takes place in late November or early December. It celebrates the beginning of the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire and the re-dedication of the Second Temple that happened in the 2nd century BCE.
That’s the strict definition of the holiday. In practice, in 2022 America, Hanukkah is the “festival of lights,” a winter celebration marked by gift-giving, delicious foods, candle-lighting, and the boring game of Dreidel (more on that below).
Religiously, Hanukkah is a comparatively minor holiday, not nearly as significant as the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but it is a favorite among children, particularly American children (probably because of the presents). Theses days the holiday is marked in Jewish communities all over the world, but Jews in the U.S. are the undisputed Hanukkah kings and queens.
When is Hanukkah this year?
The first day of Hanukkah 2022 is Dec. 18. The last day is Dec. 26. It’s later than usual this year, and it overlaps with Christmas—which means a double holiday for households that celebrate both. Score!
Why does Hanukkah fall on different dates each year?
While Hanukkah falls on different dates every year on the Gregorian calendar you’re probably familiar with, it begins on the same day every year on the Hebrew calendar: 25th of Kislev. The Hebrew calendar is based on the moon, so Hanukkah falls on the 25th day after the new moon that marks the beginning of the month of Kislev.
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The origins of Hanukkah: A Hebrew rebellion brought to you by Cincinnati rabbis
There are two ways to think about the origin of the Festival of Lights. You could say Hanukkah began around 200 BCE when Greek leaders prevented Jews from practicing their religion, leading Jewish rebels the Maccabees to rise up in defiance. Or you could say Hanukkah began in Cincinnati.
Before a couple hundred years ago, there’s no record of anyone celebrating Hanukkah—maybe it was done, but it wasn’t noteworthy enough for anyone to record it. That all changed in the mid-to-late 1800s, when a couple of Cincinnati rabbis, Isaac M. Wise and Max Lilienthal, put Hanukkah on the holiday map. They popularized and promoted the holiday, introducing celebrations of Hanukkah to their congregations and promoting it in national Jewish publications.
Wise and Lilienthal were leaders of Reform Judaism, a more modern, less orthodox form of the religion, and the holiday they popularized reflects that set of values. It was meant to help Jewish children in America honor their heritage by presenting an exciting, relatable historical event featuring Jewish heroes. it was also meant to be Christmas-like—a family holiday that’s fun.
Lilienthal noted the rising popularity of Christmas celebrations in the U.S. in the 1800s, and was impressed with the way Christian churches used the secular aspects of the holiday to teach their faith, so he borrowed the gift-giving and lighthearted nature of non-religious Christmas celebrations and put a Jewish spin on ‘em. Thus Hanukkah was born.
“We must do something, too, to enliven our children… [They] shall have a grand and glorious Chanukah festival nicer than any Christmas festival.” Lilienthal wrote in 1876.
The traditions of Hanukkah: You’ve been wrong about the menorah your whole life
The main event of Hanukkah among most who celebrate is the lighting of candles before dinner, one more for each successive night of the festival. When the Maccabees rebuilt the temple back in the olden times, they re-lit the menorahs—candle holders for eight candles—but they only had enough oil for the candles to burn for one night (or so the story goes). Miraculously, the lights stayed on for eight nights.
Technically, most people don’t light menorahs on Hanukkah. Menorahs have eight lights. Hanukkah candles are usually in a “hanukkiah” which holds nine: eight main candles and the helper candle that lights them all.
Foodwise, you can eat whatever you like, but fried foods, particularly lattes (fried potato pancakes) are popular and delicious, especially if served with sour cream and/or apple sauce. Jelly doughnuts are another favorite.
Many Hanukkah-heads give gifts too—one for each night.
Why aren’t there any classic Hanukkah songs like there are Christmas standards?
Hanukkah carols have never really caught on because golden age Jewish songwriters were busy writing “Let it Snow,” “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,” “Silver Bells,” “White Christmas,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and almost every other Christmas song that isn’t a hymn.
“Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel—you are the WORST GAME EVER”
Many households break out the dreidel (a spinning top with Hebrew characters on it) and play with it for five minutes after dinner until everyone gets bored. Dreidel is the worst game, but here’s how it’s played: everyone antes up, usually with a piece of chocolate, and you take turns spinning the dreidel until someone hits the jackpot. All luck. No skill.
It’s widely believed that dreidel is the most popular Hanukkah game, but this is a lie. The most popular (and best) Hanukkah game is “guess which candle will be the last to go out,” a much more nuanced and exciting game played by everyone who has ever fired up a menorah (sorry, a hanukkiah) before dinner. Do darker candles burn faster than lighter ones? Does placement matter? How about wick-length? All of this and more must be considered if you’re going to master this exciting game.
Is it cool to celebrate Hanukkah if you’re not Jewish?
You can celebrate any holiday you want. This is generally seen as a “fun” holiday, and while I don’t speak for anyone else, I can’t imagine too many Jews would take offense if you want to light some candles and watch 8 Crazy Nights to capture some of that Hanukkah magic. Some of the traditions of the holiday were partly inspired by Christmas anyway, and much of Christmas was appropriated from pagan solstice celebrations itself, so go nuts—it’s the holidays.
