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Hanukkah: what is this Jewish holiday and how is it celebrated

Alvaro Muñoz Gutiérrez

By Alvaro Muñoz Gutiérrez

November 29, 2021

In Hebrew it means “rededication”, but it is above all the name of one of the most important celebrations in Judaism.

Hanukkah is said in Spanish  , but the eight-day holiday is best known for its English spelling, Hanukkah.

It is celebrated every year from Kislev 25, the third month of the Hebrew (lunar) calendar, which in the Gregorian calendar corresponds to the end of November or the beginning of December.

That meant that in 2013, for example, Hanukkah coincided with the American holiday of Thanksgiving and  last year it coincided with Christmas.

But in 2020, the lights that characterize Hanukkah will be turned on for the first time on the night of this December 10, to  remember a “miracle”  that, according to Jewish tradition, occurred in Jerusalem about 2,200 years ago.

Hanukkah Sameach