Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication, is based in writings of the Maccabees during the inter-testamental period These writings are also part of the Apocrypha. The writings describe the political maneuverings of Syrian king Antiochus IV. His program was to "Hellenize" the Jews through assimilation into Greek practices. In doing this, he desecrated the temple and successfully eliminated many of the customary Jewish practices.
When he tried to do what he had done in Jesusalem to the small Jewish town of Modin, Mattathias, a town leader, formed a rebellion. The rebellion was lead by his son, Judah the Maccabee. Judah rallied forces, took to the hills, and through guerrilla tactics eventually overthrew Antiochus and his armies and reclaimed the temple. After their victory, they declared an eight day celebration of rededication known today as Hanukkah.
Today, Hanukkah is symbolic of the Jewish struggle against religious and social pressures to assimilate into majority states and cultures.
The Menorah is a candelabra with nine receptacles for candles. One receptacle is for the candle used to light the others. The other eight are lit for each day of the eight day festival. According to legend, when the Maccabees entered the temple, the sanctuary candle only had enough oil for one day but through a divine miracle, it burned for eight days.
Today, Hanukkah suffers from its comparison and proximity to the Christian Christmas. Ironically, many Jews have assimilated the Christmas traditions into Hanukkah observance. Although not through political coercion, this assimilation is exactly what the Maccabees fought against.
