The Jewish Festival of Lights for the Festival of Lights

Unlike the other major Jewish holidays, the Festival of Lights does not originate from the Torah, but rather commemorates an event that occurred after the Jewish Bible. The Festival of Lights lasts for eight days and falls on the 25th day of the month of Kislev on the Jewish calendar, generally in December of the Gregorian calendar. Because the Festival of Lights is not considered a full-fledged holy day, business is conducted as usual.

The historical event commemorated by the Festival of Lights took place during the Seleucid period, in the second century BCE. At that time, the land of Israel was ruled by descendants of the Greek kingdom of Macedonia, known as the Seleucid dynasty, centered in Syria. The Seleucid kings attempted to enforce Hellenization, i.e., to force the Jews to adopt Greek customs that were contrary to the rules of Judaism, the most outrageous of which was the order by Antiochus IV to erect a man-made statue (the worship of any physical object or form is strictly forbidden in Judaism) in the Jewish Temple and force the Jews to worship it.

The Jews began an armed revolt under the Hasmonean family in 167 B.C.E., and under the leadership of Judas Maccabeus, in 164 B.C.E., the Jewish insurgents liberated Jerusalem from the Seleucid army, and the Temple from the foreigners. This event is recorded in various documents. When the Jewish rebels wanted to light the candlesticks erected in the Temple, according to Jewish tradition, they found only one jar of unopened oil, and it took at least eight days to make new oil. Normally a jar of oil would only last one day. But a miracle occurred and the oil lasted for 8 days until new oil was made. To commemorate this miracle, people started celebrating the festival of lights for eight days. The Festival of Lights, also known as the Festival of Lights, symbolizes light and courage against the forces of darkness.

Nowadays, some people emphasize the religious significance of the Festival of Lights, while others use the Festival of Lights as a symbol of the victory of the Jewish people against hostile forces. Overall the Festival of Lights is a very joyous holiday and is loved by children. Candle Lighting - The eight days of the Festival of Lights begin with one candle on the first day and then an additional candle is added each day thereafter. Candle holders are specially made and a **** is nine candles. The ninth candle is called the Shamash and must be used to light the other candles. So on the first day of Candlemas, two candles are actually lit; on the second day, three; and so on. Traditionally the candlesticks are lit with olive oil, but nowadays most people use colored candles instead of olive oil. When the candles are lit, a special prayer is said; the children all take part, and then everyone sings the Festival of Lights song together.

Doughnuts and Minced Meat Potatoes - In addition to lighting candles, Candlemas also has a custom of eating special foods, all fried, stuffed doughnuts and minced meat potatoes.

Twirling - During the holiday, children play with a special four-sided gyroscope, surrounded by four Hebrew letters, which are abbreviations for the words: "A miracle has taken place here". It is also customary on Candlemas for the adults to give the children "holiday money" so that they can buy their favorite candies and toys. The festival of lights is not a biblical holiday, so it is not a holy day. Most of the organizations and institutions work as usual. To share the joy of the holiday with the locals, tourists can try donuts, which are deep-fried jam-filled round breads with other fillings as well. It's delicious. If tourists happen to be in Jerusalem, they can go to the Hundred Gates neighborhood, where the faithful gather, in the evening to see the scene of families lighting candles in droves.