What Is Hanukkah? A Guide For Non-Jews

Hanukah starts at sundown Sunday, which means Jews around the world will spend the following eight days lighting candles and celebrating while non-Jews will wonder what it's all about and whether they're missing out on something. Patch explains it all for you.

WHAT IS HANUKKAH?

The holiday celebrates the Jews defeating Syrian-Greek oppressors who had tried forcing them to abandon their religion and adopt Greek culture. The story has it that, led by Judah Maccabee, they recaptured the holy temple in Jerusalem. Arriving there, they found only enough olive oil to light candles for one night. It lasted for eight nights.

The holiday celebrates the defeat of the oppressors and the miracle of the oil lasting eight nights. The oil had led to the holiday being referred to as "The Festival of Lights."

HOW IMPORTANT IS HANUKKAH?

Jews consider it a minor holiday compared to celebrations such as Rosh Hashanah, which marks the new year, and Passover, which commemorates the escape from Egypt.

HANUKKAH OR CHANUKKAH?

Both are acceptable. The difference comes from the fact that the word is actually Hebrew and it can be written in English different ways depending on the translator.

HOW IS IT CELEBRATED?

Every evening at sundown, candles on a menorah (a candleholder with nine branches) is lit. The nine branches are for eight candles representing the eight days the oil lasted and one for a candle used to light the others.

There is also a tradition of giving money – gelt – to children so that they can give to charity.

ARE THERE SPECIAL FOODS?

As the holiday celebrates a miracle related to oil, Jews tend to have fried foods at Hanukkah, particularly jelly-filled doughnuts known as sufganiyot and potato pancakes known as latkes. There are also chocolate coins wrapped in foil that represent Hanukkah gelt.

GAMBLING?

Kind of. There is a game associated with Hanukkah that is played with a dreidel, a four-sided top with a different Jewish letter that is an acronym for "great miracle happened there." Every player gets pennies, chocolate coins, or something similar. With each spin, depending on what letter the top lands on, the player either gets nothing from the pot, gets half the pot, gets the whole pot, or has to put a coin in the pot.

IS IT LIKE CHRISTMAS?

Not really. The only connections are that both are celebrations and both tend to be in December.

ARE THERE GIFTS?

Now, particularly in the United States, there tends to be but it is certainly not required. The gift-giving has evolved because of how close Hanukkah is to Christmas.

CHRISTMAS HAS CAROLS, WHAT ABOUT HANUKKAH?

There is actually a grand tradition of Hanukkah music including I Have a Little Dreidel and Hanukkah oh Hanukkah. There are some modern songs such as Adam Sandler's The Hanukkah Song and Light One Candle by Peter, Paul, and Mary.

WHY ISN'T HANUKKAH THE SAME DAY EVERY YEAR?

It is. It's just that it's the same day every year on the Hebrew calendar, which is a lunar calendar, as opposed to the solar, 365-day calendar in use here.

CAN YOU CELEBRATE HANUKKAH AND CHRISTMAS?

Really, you can do whatever you want. Some say no because Hanukkah is, in large part about celebrating people who would have rather died than give up their religion.

File photo of a menorah on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. via Win McNamee/Getty Images News/Getty Images