Hanukkah is the festive eight day long Jewish celebration that includes gifts, games, crafts, parties, and lots of food. In the U.S. there are about 14.2 million Jews that celebrate this holiday every year and many more in Israel, as well as other countries around the world.

Hanukkah is celebrated to mark the freedom of the Jewish people from the rule of the Greeks. There are many symbols to go along with the holiday, such as the menorah. The legend goes that there was only a small amount of oil found in the holy temple, enough for only one candle to burn. However, instead of only burning one candle, the oil was able to light eight candles for eight nights. This started one of the most important traditions of Hanukkah. Each night of the festival, a candle is lit on the menorah to pay tribute to the Miracle of Oil.  

Every one of the eight nights of Hanukkah is filled with fun and spiritual activities for everyone in the family to enjoy. Stories are told to entertain, and traditional foods of Hanukkah are served like potato latkes, jam filled doughnuts, and savory fritters. The dreidel game is one of the most popular games played during Hanukkah. On each side of the dreidel is a Hebrew symbol. Players spin the dreidel and try to win as many chocolate coins or sweets as they can. Crafts are also fun things to do during Hanukkah, like making your own dreidel out of a carton of milk.

Hanukkah is a very special time of year filled with lots of fun and festive activities for everyone. The holiday is very important to the Jewish people as it represents miracles and freedom.