10 surprising facts you didn't know about Hanukkah

Talia LakritzDec 1, 2020, 00:52 IST

Hanukkah doughnuts, called "sufganiyot" in Hebrew.THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images

Hanukkah means "dedication" in Hebrew, and the holiday commemorates the rededication of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE.
Hanukkah usually takes place in December, but the dates change every year since Jewish holidays follow a lunar calendar.
The National Menorah lit in Washington, DC, is 30 feet tall and requires a lift from a cherry picker to light.

The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, celebrates the victory of a small group of Jewish rebels over an enormous Greek army to defend their heritage, and a miraculously long-lasting flame that continues to serve as a symbol of hope and perseverance.

According to tradition, while the Jews were living under the Greek empire around 167 BCE, King Antiochus IV outlawed Judaism and desecrated the Holy Temple that stood in Jerusalem. A small Jewish army called the Maccabees led a rebellion against the Greeks and won. When they returned to the Temple to relight the ritual menorah (candelabra), they only found enough oil to last one day, but it miraculously lasted eight.

Jewish people commemorate the Maccabees' victory and the miracle of the oil by lighting a menorah for eight nights and eating fried foods. This year, Hanukkah begins on the evening of December 10, 2020.

Hanukkah is one of the most famous holidays in the Jewish calendar, but here are 10 facts about the Festival of Lights that you may not have known.

Hanukkah means "dedication" in Hebrew.

Members of Jewish community ignite a menorah in Mumbai, India, on the last night of Hanukkah. Rafiq Maqbool/AP

Hanukkah is not a major religious holiday in the Jewish calendar.

A Jewish family lights candles for the holiday of Hanukkah. Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Hanukkah usually takes place in December, but the dates change every year.

Yeshiva students clear snow at the menorah ahead of the lighting ceremony marking the start of Hanukkah in Prague. CTK, Michal Kamaryt/AP

Thanksgiving and Hanukkah occasionally overlap.

President Obama spoke about the "menurkey," a combination of a menorah and turkey honoring Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, during a Hanukkah reception at the White House in 2013. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

The word "menorah" actually refers to the candelabra with seven branches that was lit in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.

A full-size recreation of the seven-branched menorah used in the ancient Temple on display in Jerusalem. Reza/Getty Images

The White House hosts two Hanukkah receptions every year.

A staff member brings a menorah from behind a curtain before its lighting during a Hanukkah reception in the East Room of the White House in 2018. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

The National Menorah is 30 feet tall and requires a cherry picker to reach high enough to light.

The annual national Hanukkah menorah lighting ceremony outside the White House in 2010. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Sufganiyot can contain fillings other than jelly.

Sufganiyot for sale at a market in Jerusalem. THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images

There are more traditional Hanukkah foods than just latkes and sufganiyot.

Frying up bimuelos. Courtesy of Sarah Aroeste

Dreidels, spinning tops with Hebrew letters on them used to play a Hanukkah game, contain different letters depending on where you are in the world.

A collection of dreidels. Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images

An urban explorer ventured inside an abandoned 19th-century hospital in Ireland and found rooms frozen in time — take a look inside

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