Hanukkah, known as the Holiday of Lights, or the Holiday of Dedication, is the eight-day festival honoring the time when the Greeks burned the original Holy Temple, leaving a single lantern glowing. The previous holiday of Sukkot was banned because the battles being waged led to the Maccabees deciding to celebrate, after the reclaiming of the Temple. Since the Sukkot holiday ran for eight days, this became the layout for Hanukkah. There are many practices related to the Hanukkah event which are done in a way to pay the proper homage to the tradition.

The Menorah is one of the many customs of Hanukkah. A candelabra holds eight candles that are lit each night of the eight-day event. The ninth candle is called the Sham-ash. This one is to supply a constant flame and assist with lighting the other candles. Beeswax is commonly used for the Sham-ash festival. During Hanukkah the entire family is urged to be part of the complete Menorah ceremony and, though the head of the home does the lighting, the rest of the family will be singing traditional Jewish prayers. In some families the different family members will have their own Menorah, which they light according to the day.

Travelers may bring their own Menorah with them when visiting another Jewish worshiper, in order to offer them a small symbolic tribute. Because of this act of symbolism the visitor will have covered the Menorah fees and their own ceremony, and maybe their own Menorah.

During the Hanukkah season the common meals provided will typically be cooked with oil as one of the key ingredients. Some of these spreads can be a variety of pancakes, jelly donuts and fried latkes. Along with being heavily fried, many foods served during Hanukkah are full of cheese.

Another big part of the Hanukkah tradition is toys. Hanukkah runs into the Christmas season, turning it into the highest marketable season for the Jewish people. When trying to figure out which toys to get for everyone in this new age, it really boils down to belief. Many Jewish people still try to stick with the traditional Dreidel and only blue and silver decor, while others have started blending Christmas in with the Hanukkah season. There are still the Jewish followers who still stick to just the Menorah and not hanging a wreath or even putting up a tree, or even using red or green colors in any of the decorations.

Though many think the Hanukkah celebration has become mainstream and under appreciated, Jewish people who still follow the practice do the same thing year to year. The main staples of Hanukkah – blue and silver, the Dreidel, the Menorah, and of course the rich history behind the fascinating tradition – will never truly disappear.