Definition

1. Proper Noun:
   • A Jewish religious holiday: "Feast of Lights" is the common English name for Hanukkah, an eight-day festival in Judaism. It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BCE after the Maccabean Revolt. The holiday is marked by the lighting of a nine-branched candelabrum called a menorah (or hanukkiah).

Usage Examples

• Proper Noun:
  • Our family gathers each year to celebrate the Feast of Lights.
  • The story of the miracle of the oil is central to the Feast of Lights.

Advanced Usage

• "the Feast of Lights": Always used with the definite article "the" when referring to the holiday in a general sense.
  • The history of the Feast of Lights is taught to children every year.

Variants and Related Words

• Hanukkah (n): The more common Hebrew name for the same holiday. Often used interchangeably with "Feast of Lights."
  • Hanukkah and the Feast of Lights refer to the same celebration.
• Chanukah (n): A common alternative transliteration of "Hanukkah."
• Festival of Lights (n): Another synonymous English name for the holiday.
• Menorah (n): The candelabrum lit during the holiday. The specific one used for Hanukkah is often called a .
• Dreidel (n): A four-sided spinning top played with during Hanukkah.

Synonyms

• Hanukkah: The primary synonym.
• Festival of Lights: A direct synonym emphasizing the central ritual of lighting candles.
• Dedication: A translation of the Hebrew word "Hanukkah."

Related Phrases

• "celebrate Hanukkah" / "observe the Feast of Lights": To participate in the holiday traditions.
  • They observe the Feast of Lights by lighting candles and eating fried foods.
• "first night of Hanukkah": Refers to the initial candle-lighting.
  • On the first night of Hanukkah, we light one candle plus the shamash (helper candle).

Related Idioms and Concepts

• "Miracle of the Oil": The foundational legend of the holiday, where a one-day supply of consecrated oil burned for eight days in the rededicated Temple.
  • The Feast of Lights lasts eight days to remember the Miracle of the Oil.

Noun

1. (Judaism) an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem in 165 BC