The first night of Hanukkah this year begins at sundown on Thursday, December 7, and ends with nightfall on Friday, December 15.

Hanukkah means “dedication”, and the holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd Century BC, after a small group of Jewish fighters liberated it from occupying forces.

With a tiny supply of ritually pure oil they found in the temple, they lit the menorah and it stayed lit for eight days. The ritual of lighting a nightly candle, as well as the emphasis on cooking special holiday foods, memorializes the miraculously long-lasting oil.

Hanukkah Sameach! (Happy Hanukkah!)

Chag Sameach! (Happy Holiday!)

Chag Urim Sameach! (Happy Festival of Lights!)

source: pbs.org.