Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • A Jewish festival: Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish festival that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BCE. It is also known as the Festival of Lights.

Usage

• Hanukkah is observed by lighting the candles of a nine-branched candelabrum called a menorah. One candle is lit on each night of the holiday, with a ninth helper candle (the shamash) used to light the others.
• The holiday celebrates the miracle of a small amount of oil, sufficient for one day, burning for eight days in the temple's menorah.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• "Hanukkah gelt": refers to money or chocolate coins given as gifts during Hanukkah.
  • The children received Hanukkah gelt from their grandparents.
• "Hanukkah bush": a term sometimes used by some Jewish families for a small, decorated tree, reflecting cultural blending with Christmas traditions. This is not a universal practice.
  • They have a small Hanukkah bush with blue and white decorations.

Variants and Related Words

• Chanukah (proper noun): An alternative transliteration of the Hebrew word for the holiday.
• Festival of Lights (noun phrase): Another name for Hanukkah.
• Menorah (noun): The nine-branched candelabrum lit during Hanukkah.
• Dreidel (noun): A four-sided spinning top played with during Hanukkah.

Synonyms

• Feast of Dedication: A less common synonym referencing the temple's rededication.
• Feast of Lights: Another synonym emphasizing the lighting of the menorah.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "A great miracle happened there": This phrase (in Hebrew, ) is found on dreidels used in the diaspora. It refers to the miracle of the oil.
  • The dreidel spins, showing the Hebrew letters that begin the phrase "A great miracle happened there."

Noun

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