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By Our Religious and Cultural Correspondent
NATIONWIDE – The Jewish world welcomes the season of light and miracles tonight as Hanukkah, the beloved Festival of Lights, begins at sundown on Sunday, December 14, 2025. The eight-day celebration will bring warmth and joy to the heart of winter, concluding at nightfall on Monday, December 22.
The holiday, whose name means "dedication" in Hebrew, commemorates two central events that occurred more than 2,000 years ago: a military victory and a spiritual miracle.
A Triumph of Dedication
Hanukkah traces its origins to the second century B.C.E., when a small group of Jewish fighters known as the Maccabees successfully revolted against the Syrian-Greek regime led by King Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who had sought to suppress Jewish religious practice. Following their unlikely victory, the Maccabees rededicated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, which had been desecrated.
The most enduring symbol of the holiday arises from the rededication process. According to the Talmud, when the faithful sought to light the Temple’s eternal flame, they found only a single, small cruse of oil, enough to last for just one day. Miraculously, the oil burned brightly for eight full days, providing enough time to prepare new, consecrated oil.
Lighting the Way
This miraculous event is central to the celebration today. Each evening, families will gather to light the nine-branched candelabrum, the Hanukkiah (often called a menorah). A dedicated ninth candle, the shamash, or "helper," is lit first, and then used to illuminate one additional candle each night, culminating in a fully lit Hanukkiah on the final evening. Special blessings are recited as the lights are kindled, commemorating the historical and spiritual miracles.
Tradition also dictates that Hanukkah foods are cooked in oil to recall the enduring flask. Households across the globe will be filled with the rich aroma of latkes (fried potato pancakes) and sweet, jelly-filled sufganiyot (doughnuts).
Other beloved customs include playing the game of dreidel, a spinning top inscribed with Hebrew letters, and the giving of gelt (coins, often chocolate) to children.
As the days grow shorter, Hanukkah serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of light over darkness.
