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Marking the dedication of the Second temple by the Jewish people, Hanukkah is a festival lasting eight days in commemoration of the eight days the oil burned when the temple was recaptured.

In proclaiming Happy Hanukkah, the celebration involves special activities, such as giving gifts, like Hanukkah gift baskets, playing games, as well as singing songs. There are special candles for the festival that are supposed to be lit at the onset of darkness on each of the eight days.

The festival forbids activities that are forbidden during Sabbath. This does not mean that it has that status of the Sabbath, since it does not require the closure of schools or missing time from work.

However, the tradition has seen the closure of schools during the festival week and early departures that allow people to go home and light the lamps or candles. Though the Hanukkah decorations saying Happy Hanukkah are traditionally placed at the door near the road to publicize the festival, one is allowed to hide the lamps or candles to avoid persecution. In places that do not allow open flames, like hospitals, bulbs can be used.

The candles are lit at the discretion of the family. Some choose the onset of darkness, while others choose later in the night. Also, the family has a choice of lighting one menorah per family member or one menorah for the entire family. However, the rules of the festival must be adhered to.

Kids especially enjoy the festivities associated with the Hanukkah holiday. Happy Hanukkah.

To read more Time For Proclaiming A Happy Hanukkah

Chanukkah (also commonly spelled as Hanukkah) is a Jewish holiday established to commemorate the lighting of the menorah at the Holy Temple in Jerusalem by the victorious Jews led by Judah Maccabee in 165 B.C.

The festival lasts for eight days, beginning on the 25th day of the Hebrew month Kislev. The duration of the festival corresponds to the number of days the menorah was kept miraculously alight by the oil which was meant to last for only one day.

Hence, today, Jews celebrate the Hanukkah tradition by lighting the candles in a menorah for eight days.

Jews in various parts of the world enjoy traditional foods during Chanukkah, usually with oil ingredients in remembrance of the miraculous oil in the temple at Jerusalem. Jewish Americans have latkes, which are a type of potato pancakes, yet while in Israel, Jews partake of sufganiya, a kind of pastry filled with jelly that has been cooked in oil.

Dairy products such as cheese are also popular fares. For children, there are traditional Jewish games that they can play as part of the Jewish Hanukkah holiday.

One of them is Spin the Dreidel; the dreidel is a four-sided top with an engraving of a Hebrew letter on each side, which are initials of the words in the sentence “A great miracle happened there.” As well as games, traditional Hanukkah songs are sung.

Despite being a relatively minor holiday in the Jewish calendar, Chanukkah enjoys a degree of prominence, especially in North America. In view of the sizeable population, secular Jews wanted a Jewish alternative to Christmas gift-giving, which is also celebrated at roughly the same period.

Though giving “gelt” or coins to Jewish children remains a Hanukkah tradition, many Jewish children are also being given other gifts so that they do not feel being left out of the Christmas gift giving merriment.

To read more Chanukkah Food Traditions

Christmas and Hanukkah are holidays that are both celebrated by many people, are steeped in tradition and revolve around religious events. The Jewish people celebrate the Hanukkah holiday every year to remember to Maccabees revolt.

When Maccabees and his people went to the Temple of Jerusalem, during the revolt, they became sad because the temple had been destroyed and many items were looted. Maccabees organized his men and they repaired and cleaned the temple.

After the cleaning, they wanted to rededicate it but they did not have enough oil to light the Hanukkah menorah. The only available oil was in a small flask, and could only last a day.

However, when they lit the menorah, it continued burning for eight days. Christmas, however, has its own story. It is the celebration of the Birth of Jesus Christ and is memorialized every year on December 25th.

For both Christmas and Hanukkah, many traditions include special foods. One of the popular Hanukkah foods is a doughnut which has no hole. The doughnut is called sufganiyot and it is made by dipping it into hot vegetable oil and then powdering it in sugar.

The doughnuts are usually sold in the streets for a month prior to Hanukkah, due to their popularity. There is also the latke, which is made by mixing potatoes, onions, flour and eggs and then deep frying them in hot oil.

One tradition within the Christmas holiday is the Christmas cookie. Many families may get together during Christmas to make holiday cookies as part of their family traditions.

Both Christmas and Hanukkah are a time for parents, children, friends and other family members to celebrate their relationships as they celebrate the holidays. At Hanukkah, parents offer their kids Hanukkah gifts and encourage them to study the Torah; they listen to Hanukkah music and sing Hanukkah songs.

Presents are also given at Christmas, carols are sung and Christmas music can be heard everywhere.

To read more The Holiday Traditions Of Christmas And Hanukkah