Hanukkah Begins at Sundown Today

Hanukkah, the eight-day "Festival of Lights" that commemorates the Maccabees' triumph over a larger Syrian army in 165 B.C. and represents the only Jewish holiday that celebrates a military victory, begins at sundown today.

Once the Jews defeated the Hellenist Syrian forces of Antiochus IV at the end of a three-year rebellion, the temple in Jerusalem, which the occupiers had dedicated to the worship of Zeus, was rededicated by Judah Maccabee, who led the insurgency begun by his father, the high priest Mattathias.

According to the story of Hanukkah, Maccabee and his soldiers wanted to light the temple's ceremonial lamp with ritually pure olive oil as part of their rededication but found only enough oil to burn for one day. The oil, however, burned for eight days in what was held to be a miracle.

"It's a timeless story of right over might and faith over doubt -- one that has given hope to Jewish people everywhere for over 2,000 years," President Barack Obama said in a Hanukkah greeting issued from the White House today. "And tonight, as families and friends come together to light the menorah, it is a story that reminds us to count our blessings, to honor the sacrifices of our ancestors, and to believe that through faith and determination, we can work together to build a brighter, better world for generations to come."

Hanukkah -- which means dedication in Hebrew -- is observed around the world by lighting candles in a special menorah called a Hanukiah each day at sundown for eight days, with an additional candle added each day. The reason for the lights is so passers-by should see them and be reminded of the holiday's miracle.

Other Hanukkah traditions include spinning a dreidel, a four-sided top, which partially commemorates a game that Jews under Greek domination played to camouflage their Torah study, and eating foods fried in olive oil, such as potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts.

Children receive Hanukkah "gelt" (the Yiddish word for money) from parents and grandparents. The tradition originated with 17th century Polish Jews giving money to their children to give their teachers during Hanukkah, which led to parents also giving children money.

In the United States, the practice has evolved into giving holiday gifts to children and others, akin to Christmas gift-giving.

Unlike on the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, or Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, observant Jews are permitted to work and attend school during Hanukkah, the only Jewish holiday that commemorates a military victory.

In his Hanukkah message to the community, Rabbi Mark S. Diamond, the executive vice president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, evoked the gas street lamplighters of the past, saying, "the confluence of Hanukkah and Christmas on the December calendar reminds us of much more than the shared custom of exchanging holiday gifts. These holidays fall during the darkest days of winter and bid Christians and Jews alike to serve as faithful lamplighters."