Hanukkah, also spelled Ḥanukka, Chanukah, or Chanukkah, and also called Feast of Dedication, Festival of Lights, or Feast of the Maccabees, is a Jewish festival that begins on Kislev 25 (usually in December, according to the Gregorian calendar) and is celebrated for eight days.

Hanukkah reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and commemorates in particular the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem by the lighting of candles on each day of the festival. Although not mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, Hanukkah came to be widely celebrated and remains one of the most popular Jewish religious observances.

This content is adapted from Britannica's "Hanukkah."