Feast of Lights
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What is the Feast of Lights? The Feast of Lights is another name for Hanukkah, an eight-day Jewish festival that commemorates the rededication of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century b.c.e. It usually occurs in December but can also happen in late November and can extend into January. Hanukkah, which can also be spelled Chanukah, is commonly interpreted as meaning “a dedication” in Hebrew. Less commonly, the holiday is called the Feast of Dedication. The name Feast of Lights is also not commonly used. Hanukkah is much more commonly referred to as the Festival of Lights. These names refer to the fact that it’s observed with the lighting of a multi-branched candelabrum called the menorah (or hanukiah or chanukiah). When it has nine candles, one of them is a “starter” (technically called the shammes) that’s used to light the other eight candles. One candle is lit on each subsequent evening of the celebration, until all are lit. Special prayers may be said during the lighting of each candle or at different times of each day. The tradition of lighting the menorah during Hanukkah is done to commemorate the story of a miracle. According to the story, when the Temple was rededicated, its lamps burned miraculously for a week, even though there was not enough oil to fuel them. The rededication of the Temple occurred after Judea was liberated from Syrian occupation by the Maccabees, a family of Jews led by Judas Maccabaeus. They defeated the Syrians under Antiochus IV around 165 b.c.e. The timing of Hanukkah is based on the Jewish calendar and varies from year to year. It is celebrated on the 25th day of the month of Kislev to the 2nd of Tevet. This most often corresponds to an eight-day period in December. Common ways of celebrating Hanukkah include giving gifts to children and loved ones, having family dinners, and eating special foods like latkes. Children sometimes play games with a traditional toy called a dreidel, a kind of four-sided top. Example: We gather to light the menorah for the Feast of Lights—Hanukkah!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Channukah, Jewish Feast of Lights, of Dedication, came again last week to remind devotees that a man's home is not only his castle but his temple.
From Time Magazine Archive
From that time we call the yearly celebration the Feast of Lights.
From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 11 — Ancient and Mediæval History by Hammerton, John Alexander, Sir
According to the testimony of various writers, the festival held by Christians on Christmas eve used to resemble the Feast of Lights, celebrated in Egypt in honor of Neith.
From The God-Idea of the Ancients or Sex in Religion by Gamble, Eliza Burt
Isis the Goddess of Sais, the Feast of Lights in her honor celebrated there, 380-u.
From Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry by Pike, Albert
This ancient Maccab�an festival faithful Jews still celebrate under the name of the Hanoukhah, the Feast of Lights.
From Stories of the Olden Time (Historical Series—Book IV Part I) by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
