What is Hanukkah?

View a PDF of our Guide to Hanukkah for Interfaith Families 

Hanukkah is a holiday that commemorates the Jewish recapture and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE. It’s celebrated for eight days and usually falls in December. The traditional observances of Hanukkah are lighting a menorah, or ceremonial candelabra, spinning a top called a dreidel and eating fried foods. Though it is religiously minor, Hanukkah is a popular holiday. It’s a happy festival in the winter, so it provides what seems to be a universally needed break from the dark and cold. It’s a holiday about Jews winning a war, which is not the usual subject for a Jewish holiday. The third reason is obvious: for Jews in Christian culture, Hanukkah is the closest Jewish holiday to Christmas.

Table of Contents

• What is Hanukkah?
• Symbols and Observances of Hanukkah
• Traditional Foods of Hanukkah
• Hanukkah, Christmas and Your Interfaith Family
• Some Specific Approaches for Interfaith Families Use For Hanuakkah and Christmas
• To Tree or Not To Tree
• Parenting During the Holidays

Other Hanukkah Resources

• Hanukkah Recipe Index
• Hanukkah Blessings
• Kid-Friendly, DIY Menorah
• How Much Do You Know About Hanukkah Quiz