What is Hanukkah?

wth is wrong with meshugan?! "Just to tell you...The candle holder you light is NOT called a menorah...A menorah has 7 candles and it is the sign of Judaism. What you light is called a Hanukiah." A...it isn't a "candle holder" B...it is called a menorah C...a menorah has 9 candles, one being the chamus D...it isn't a SIGN of judaism E...YOU DON'T LIGHT HANUKKAH ON FIRE!!!!!! and there's no such thing as a hanukiah.

Jews do not believe that Jesus was "Christ"; as a result, we do not celebrate his birth. Hannukah is the "festival of lights," celebrating the victory of the Maccabees over Antiochus' Syrian-Greek regime. After winning the victory, the light in the Temple was rekindled, but there was only enough oil to last a single day. It miraculously lasted for eight days, until more oil could be made ready for use. Thus, we celebrate for eight nights, lighting eight lights on a menorah (actually a "chanukiah" or "hanukiah" [the spelling can't be exact because the word is Hebrew and uses a letter that doesn't map directly to a letter in the English alphabet], as a menorah can be a candelabra or lamp with any number of lights, technically), one for each night, plus a 9th light which is called a "sh'mash," that serves as a "servant" candle to light the others. It is a comparatively minor holiday in the Jewish calendar, and has nothing to do with Christmas except that it happens to fall near the same time of year. Whoever said there is no such thing as a "chanukiah" needs to do a little reading; there most certainly is. Seven-branched menorahs are for use in a place of worship, and many Jewish people used three- or five-branched menorahs for the Sabbath candles - always an odd number, with the "odd man out" being the servant candle.

Only Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. Other religions have their own customs and festivals. Hannukah is somewhat akin to Christmas, since it occurs around the same time. It's Judaism's "festival of lights," celebrating the ancient story of a miracle wherein a day's worth of temple oil burned for eight days, allowing more to be made and the lights kept burning. A special candelabra, called a menorah, with eight arms has a candle on it lit each night to celebrate, with certain prayers and songs accompanying it. Gifts of money are often given to children, and specific foods, like latkes, are eaten and games played, like spinning the dreidel.

Just to tell you...The candle holder you light is NOT called a menorah...A menorah has 7 candles and it is the sign of Judaism. What you light is called a Hanukiah.

Here is a little more definitive info. Hanukkah The Menorah is also a symbol closely associated with the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. According to the Talmud, after the desecration of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, there was only enough sealed (and therefore not desecrated by idolatry) consecrated olive oil left to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days which was enough time to get new oil as well as finish rebuilding the Temple. The Hanukkah Menorah therefore has not seven, but nine candle holders. The four holders on either side are to represent the eight day celebration of the miracle of oil, while the one in the middle, called the Shamash, is used to light the others. While this type of menorah is technically called a Hanukiah, the "menorah of Hanukkah" is sometimes simply called a menorah.

NO! it is not christmas.... jews do not celebrate that! It is a jewish holiday that celebrates the Mirical of the Oil in the second Tabernacle (Beit Hamikdash). You see, Antiochas the King of the greeks came to Isreal and said that all Jews were not aloud to learn Torah (Bible) , have Brit Milah, or celebrate Shabbos (Sabbath). And they went into the Beit Hamikdash and unsealed all the oil. Then after a war between Yehuddah HaMaccabii (the jews' leader @ the time) and the greeks, which the jews won, they went to light the Menorah but, they couldn't find a bottle of oil. Finnaly someone found a small bottle of oil that would only last 1 day but they needed it to last 8. Their was a miricale and Hashem made the oil last 8days. Today we celebrate this miricale by lighting the menorah and parents give kids presents as an incentive to learn Torah. That is a breif explanation of the history and holiday of Channukah .

Well, coming from a Jew, I DO celebrate Christmas. Not in the Christian way, no religion needed to have fun on Christmas Day. On Hanukkah we say some prayers each time we like the Menorah, one candle a day. Our prayers are in Hebrew, and we usually eat kugel, matza ball soup, matzo, and sometimes those little pancakes. * I can't think of the name for them. =D

Apha We call them "latkes" or potato "latkes"

hanukkah is a jewish holiday, i know because im jewish kinda like christmas for jews