Every year, the students of AHS celebrate the big three winter holidays—

Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. This year Hanukkah comes first, beginning tonight, December 11, at sundown.

Hanukkah, otherwise known as the Festival of Lights, is a Jewish holiday lasting for eight days and eight nights. It celebrates the victory of the Jewish people over the Greeks and the miracle of Hanukkah that occurred over two thousand years ago.

The story goes that Antiochus, the Greek king of Syria, outlawed Jewish rituals and ordered that they only worship his Greek gods. To enforce his law, Antiochus had his men take over the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and desecrate it, dedicating it to the worship of Zeus.

Outraged by this oppression, a Jewish group known as the Maccabees, led by Judah Maccabee, fought back and defeated the Greek army. Regaining control of the Holy Temple, they rededicated it and planned to light its menorah, which was found among the destruction. The only problem was, they could only find enough oil to light the menorah for one day. Miraculously, however, the tiny flask of oil lasted for eight days, which is why the Jewish people commemorate the occasion by lighting candles on a menorah.

Though Hanukkah is really only a minor Jewish holiday, it is still celebrated by many people around the world. For the next eight nights, Jews everywhere will light the menorah, adding one candle each night for a total of eight.

Besides just lighting the menorah and saying the traditional prayers, many Jews celebrate the holiday by playing popular Hanukkah games and singing Hanukkah songs. They also celebrate by eating the traditional holiday foods, such as latkes, or potato pancakes, and jelly doughnuts.

“My favorite part of Hanukkah is spending Hanukkah dinner with my family. My mom and I spend all day making latkes and brisket and food for everyone,” replied sophomore Sarah Shalewitz when asked about her Hanukkah traditions.

Many Jews also play dreidel, a popular Hanukkah game. To play, each person spins a four-sided top with a Hebrew letter on each side. Depending on what letter it lands on, the spinner must either take or put chocolate coins, known as gelt, into the pot. By the end of the game, whoever has the most coins wins.

“My favorite thing about Hanukkah is playing dreidel with my family. It’s basically gambling, what’s not to like,” said sophomore Anthony Young.

Hanukkah is also celebrated by exchanging presents. Typically, a child will receive one present each night or receive all of his or her presents on the very last night. Originally, this was not a part of the holiday, but many people did not want Jewish children to feel left out of the gift giving, so they added it to Hanukkah tradition.

Freshman Noah Fitzgereld is just one AHS student who is sure to light the menorah tonight. “Hanukkah is a time for warmth and family. It means a lot to light the candles with loved ones.”