Hanukkah - some facts

nine branched hanukiah

• Hanukkah (Festival of Lights) celebrates the freedom of Jews and the victory of the Maccabees army, over the Hellenistic Syrians.
• The festival of Hanukkah was instituted by Judah Maccabee and his brothers to celebrate this event.
• The word Hanukkah is also romanized as Chanukah or Chanuka.
• It takes forty-four candles all together to observe all the 8 nights of the Hanukkah festival.
• Chanukah is observed for eight nights and days
• Hanukkah starts on 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev (between the middle of November and beginning of January in the Gregorian calendar).
• The 9-branched candelabrum used on a Chanukah is a misnomer; it is actually called a hanukiah. The original menorah is actually a 7-branched candelabrum.
• The word "Hanukkah" derives from the Hebrew verb "חנך", meaning "to dedicate".
• The last day of the Festival of Lights is known as Zot Hanukkah.