Hanukkah or Chanukah is the Jewish Festival of Lights. The word “Hanukkah” means “dedication.”
“The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched menorah (also called a Chanukiah/Hanukiah), one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night,” says Wikipedia.
“The typical menorah consists of eight branches with an additional visually distinct branch. The extra light, with which the others are lit, is called a shamash (Hebrew: שמש, “attendant”) and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest.”
The origin of the festival is a commemoration of the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire.
Hanukkah is observed from:
Hanukkah 2016 starts the evening of:
Saturday, December 24
and ends the evening of
Sunday, January 1, 2017.
To all our friends and industry colleagues of the Jewish faith, we wish you a happy Hanukkah. ##
(Image credits are as shown.)
Soheyla Kovach for the Daily Business News on MHProNews.com
