Hanukkah 2025 Explained: Significance, Story, Rituals And How Jewish Families Celebrate

Hanukkah arrives each winter with a glow that feels both ancient and familiar, a soft shimmer that slips through windows just when the year begins to darken too early. For many Jewish families, the festival

is less about ticking off rituals and more about reliving a story that has travelled across centuries, empires and continents without losing its warmth. In 2025, Hanukkah begins at sunset on Sunday, 14 December, and continues until nightfall on Monday, 22 December. That eight-day stretch marks a moment when history, myth, resilience and community converge in a festival often called “minor,” yet somehow loved with extraordinary intensity. To understand why Hanukkah speaks so strongly to so many people, you have to go back more than two millennia to Jerusalem. What began as a confrontation over identity and belief ended in a quiet miracle so unexpected that its memory still shapes the way Jewish families gather, cook, pray and celebrate today. Most people recognise the iconic menorah and the playful dreidel, but the festival’s emotional core lies in something far deeper: the belief that light — tiny, flickering, fragile light — can outlast forces that seem far greater than it.

What Is Hanukkah and Why Does It Matter So Much?

Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish festival that usually falls between late November and late December. Often called the Festival of Lights, it commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after it had been seized and desecrated by the ruling Seleucid forces in the second century BCE. Although Hanukkah does not appear in the Hebrew Bible, its influence is enormous. Surveys show it remains one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays in the world, reaching families who may not follow other traditions closely but still feel deeply connected to this moment of triumph and renewal. Its themes — courage, survival, identity, and the insistence on practising one’s faith freely — make the festival feel startlingly current. A lesser-known fact is that Hanukkah is tied not only to ancient warfare but to a symbolic victory over despair. The festival invites people to remember that resistance can take many forms, and sometimes the smallest act — lighting a lamp against the odds — can become the piece of history everyone remembers.

Why Does Hanukkah Last for Eight Days?

The eight days honour two intertwined stories: the military victory of the Maccabees, and the miracle of the oil. First comes the historical frame. In 164 BCE, after years of oppressive rule, the Jewish rebels succeeded in taking back the Temple. When they entered, they found it damaged and spiritually defiled. Restoring it required days of work; that process itself became a celebration of perseverance. Then comes the miracle. Tradition says that when the Maccabees looked for ritual oil to light the Temple’s candelabrum, they discovered only a tiny sealed jar — barely enough to last one day. Yet the flame burned for eight days, long enough for new oil to be prepared. That improbable endurance became the festival’s defining symbol. Hanukkah, therefore, lasts eight nights not because of military victory alone, but because faith held longer than reason suggested it could.

Is Hanukkah Mentioned in the Bible?

No — and that is precisely what makes it unusual. The events that inspired Hanukkah unfolded after the biblical period, so the holiday does not appear in the Hebrew Scriptures. Instead, its earliest written accounts show up in the Books of the Maccabees, part of the ancient Jewish Apocrypha, and later in rabbinic literature such as the Talmud. Each tells the story differently. The Maccabean texts emphasise the rebellion and the reclaiming of the Temple. The Talmud shifts the lens to the miracle of the oil, highlighting divine intervention. Taken together, the sources blend history and spirituality into the festival known today.

How Do Families Celebrate Hanukkah?

At the heart of the festival is the nightly lighting of the menorah, a nine-branched candelabrum known as a hanukkiah. One candle is added each evening, always lit using the helper candle, the shamash. Homes often place their menorahs in windows or doorways — a tradition rooted in the idea of sharing light rather than keeping it hidden. Children look forward to spinning the dreidel, a four-sided top marked with Hebrew letters that determine who wins chocolate coins or real gelt. Kitchens, meanwhile, become a laboratory of sizzling oil as families prepare potato latkes, jam-filled sufganiyot, and dairy dishes that have become essential festive fare. While gift-giving is now popular in many households, especially in the United States, historians note that this tradition is relatively modern and grew partly from the holiday’s proximity to Christmas. Earlier generations focused more on learning, charity, hospitality and storytelling.

How Do You Wish Someone a Happy Hanukkah?

Several greetings are common and widely understood across Jewish communities. You can say: Happy Hanukkah Hanukkah sameach (Happy Hanukkah) Chag sameach (Happy holiday) Chag urim sameach (Happy Festival of Lights) These greetings work in both formal and casual settings and are often exchanged each night as candles are lit.

Why Does Hanukkah’s Message Still Resonate Today?

Hanukkah is a reminder that identity is worth protecting, that resilience can be quiet rather than dramatic, and that hope often begins in tiny increments. In a world that still wrestles with questions of belonging, cultural survival and spiritual freedom, the festival continues to offer a reassuring counterpoint. A menorah glowing in a window — whether in Tel Aviv or London or New York — becomes more than a ritual object. It becomes a declaration that light spreads best when it is shared. The festival’s enduring influence lies not just in its ancient roots but in its ability to adapt, inspire and gather people together. One lesser-known trivia point: the world’s largest menorahs, often erected in cities like New York and Jerusalem, can tower several metres high and require cherry-pickers or cranes to light the top branches. They symbolise the festival’s commitment to public joy and communal strength.

What Foods Bring Hanukkah to Life?

Food is one of the festival’s most evocative storytellers. Because the holiday centres on the miracle of oil, dishes fried in oil take the spotlight. Latkes offer a crisp, savoury bite, often paired with applesauce or sour cream. Sufganiyot, the famed jelly-filled doughnuts, provide the sweet counterpart. Brisket, challah, and dairy-based dishes round out the table in many homes. These foods create a sensory bridge between past and present — a reminder that sometimes history is best understood through the smell of something frying in the kitchen.