Chanukah or Hannukah is Hebrew for “dedication.” It is an eight-day festival celebrated among God’s people from the second century B.C. before Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus). It commemorates the rededication of the God’s temple in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) in B.C. 165 after the Greek Seleucid king Antiochus IV desecrated it about nine years earlier during a campaign to stamp out the worship of the LORD in Israel.
Mentioned in John 10 in the Gospels, Chanukah is celebrated over eight days, starting on the 25th day of the ninth month of Israel’s calendar, which falls in December or November, depending on the year. This year, Chanukah runs from sunset Dec. 25 to sunset Jan. 2, 2025.
LORD willing we’ll be holding a celebration Dec. 28, closing out Shabbat with havdalah (separation) then having a celebration.
A common tradition is to light one candle in your home each evening. Usually, a special nine-branch candelabra called a chanukiah is used for this festival, but one can also group nine candles together, using one as the “servant,” or shamash, candle to light the others.
Discover more from Hallel Fellowship
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.