What exactly is Chanukah about? Is it Christmas for Jewish people?
Chanukah and Christmas are two very different holidays, even though they both fall in the same month, and both may include gift-giving. Christmas is the celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ. Chanukah is a celebration of the small Maccabean army’s victory against the large army of the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes, who destroyed the Temple and tried to forbid Jewish practice. After the Maccabees’ victory, they cleaned up the Temple, and they found enough oil to last only one day. The oil lasted eight days, and that is the other miracle celebrated by Jewish people on Chanukah. The holiday is generally about celebrating keeping Judaism alive, even in difficult times. Why Don’t Jewish People Have a Christmas Tree? Christmas trees are displays used for celebrating Christmas. Jewish people celebrate Chanukah by following Jewish traditions. Jewish Chanukah traditions include lighting candles on a chanukiah (a Chanukah menorah) each night, eating traditional foods such as potato latke
