Hanukkah 2025

The events that inspired the Hanukkah holiday took place during a particularly turbulent phase of Jewish history. Around 200 B.C., Judea—also known as the Land of Israel—came under the control of Antiochus III, the Seleucid king of Syria, who allowed the Jews who lived there to continue practicing their religion. His son, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, proved less benevolent: Ancient sources recount that he outlawed the Jewish religion and ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods. In 168 B.C., his soldiers descended upon Jerusalem, massacred thousands of people and desecrated the city’s holy Second Temple by erecting an altar to Zeus and sacrificing pigs, a non-kosher food, within its sacred walls.

Led by the Jewish priest Mattathias and his five sons, a large-scale rebellion broke out against Antiochus IV and the Seleucid monarchy. When Matthathias died in 166 B.C., his son Judah took the helm and became known as Judah Maccabee, or “the Hammer.” Within two years, the Maccabees and other Jews had successfully driven the Syrians out of Jerusalem largely by relying on guerilla warfare tactics. Judah called on his followers to cleanse the Second Temple, rebuild its altar and light its menorah—the gold candelabrum whose seven branches, representing creation and the tree of life, were meant to be kept burning every night as a symbol of God’s light.

According to the Talmud, one of Judaism’s most central texts, Judah Maccabee and the other Jews who took part in the rededication of the Second Temple witnessed what they believed to be a miracle. Even though there was only enough untainted olive oil to keep the menorah’s candles burning for a single day, the flames continued flickering for eight nights, leaving them time to find a fresh supply. This wondrous event inspired the Jewish sages to proclaim an annual eight-day festival. (The first Book of the Maccabees tells another version of the story, describing an eight-day celebration that followed the rededication but making no reference to the miracle of the oil.)

Some modern historians offer a radically different interpretation of the story of Hanukkah. In their view, Jerusalem under Antiochus IV had erupted into civil war between two camps of Jews: those who had assimilated into the dominant Greek and Syrian culture that surrounded them and those who were determined to impose Jewish laws and traditions, even if by force. The traditionalists won out in the end, with the Hasmonean dynasty—led by Judah Maccabee’s brother Simon and his descendants—wresting control of the Land of Israel from the Seleucids and maintaining an independent Jewish kingdom for more than a century.

Jewish scholars have also suggested that the first Hanukkah might have been a belated celebration of Sukkot, which the Jews had not had the chance to observe during the Maccabean Revolt. One of the Jewish religion’s most important holidays, Sukkot consists of seven days of feasting, prayer and festivities to honor the autumn harvest.

From a religious perspective, Hanukkah is a relatively minor Jewish holiday that places no restrictions on working, attending school or other activities. However, it has grown in popularity over time. This is especially true in the United States, where Hanukkah and Passover are the two most celebrated Jewish holidays.

During the 19th century, the Maccabees became a popular subject of religious scholarship, Jewish magazines and newspapers, artistic performances and public pageants. The family served as a example of keeping Jewish faith alive at a time when religious customs were increasingly hard to practice in the U.S., where Christians are the majority. At the same time, Hanukkah offered a way for American Jews to participate in the winter holiday season and to tap into growing societal desire to shower children with gifts.

The story of Hanukkah took particular hold in the Reform Judaism movement. Two prominent rabbis in Cincinnati developed a child-centric celebration during Hanukkah to attract families back to the synagogue. They also encouraged gift-giving to mirror the Christmas custom. Similar festivities were soon popping up across the country. In recent decades, Hanukkah has exploded into a major commercial phenomenon with people decorating their homes and exchange presents in addition to observing a variety of other traditions.

Since 1979, millions have watched the annual lighting of the National Menorah in Washington, D.C. Politicians, including presidents and vice presidents, have attended the ceremony. Cities across America have emulated the event with their own local menorah lightings.

The Hanukkah celebration revolves around the lighting of a nine-branched menorah, known in Hebrew as the “hanukkiah.” After sundown on the first night of the holiday, one candle is lit by the shamash, or “helper” candle that rests in the menorah’s slightly elevated branch. Each following night, another candle is added until all eight branches and the shamash burn bright. Jews typically recite blessings during this ritual and display the menorah prominently in a window as a reminder to others of the miracle that inspired the holiday.

In another allusion to the Hanukkah miracle, traditional Hanukkah foods are fried in oil. Potato pancakes, known as latkes, and jam-filled donuts, or “sufganiyot,” are particularly popular in many Jewish households. Another Hanukkah custom is playing with four-sided spinning tops called dreidels while betting chocolate coins known as Hanukkah gelt.

Gifting money, sometimes in the form of gelt, to children was a long-held Hanukkah tradition. Today, it is more common to exchange physical presents. Some families choose to give children eight gifts, one on each night of the holiday. Others opt for one large present or one night of gift-giving.