Hanukkah

By: Kailani Downs
December 6, 2021

The Feast of Dedication, also known as the Festival of Lights, commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean insurrection against the Syrian-Greek army. The holiday commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple and lasts for eight nights and days.

What do the 8 days of Hanukkah stand for?

Hanukkah implies “dedication” in Hebrew. The eight-day occasion celebrates the rededication of the Sanctuary of Jerusalem after it was retaken by the Maccabees, a gathering of Jewish warriors, from the Greeks within the 2nd century BCE, as clarified by Tablet magazine.

Sophomore Tristan Labra says he spent Hanukkah with his friend Alex last year. Some of the things that Tristan mentioned about his Hanukkah activities were making “delicious potato pancakes called latkes”. He also mentions that Alex and his family broke a gift open every day for 8 days during Hanukkah. Tristan says “ We sang this one song called Feast of Lights by They Might Be Giants and it was very soothing”. Tristan claimed that they did a traditional dance called “the Horah”; “it brings joy and laughter to everyone’s faces” says Tristan.

Something that families do on Hanukkah is