Hanukkah celebrations shine a light after a year of adversity
CNN
Jewish people honor the holiday by lighting the menorah and frying latkes.
The ancient Hebrew calendar determines when Hanukkah is celebrated -- not the Gregorian calendar -- which is why the dates change from year to year. In 2021, the holiday will be celebrated from sundown on November 28 to sundown on December 6. The holiday often falls around Christmas, but the two have nothing in common.
The ancient ruler King Antiochus IV abolished Jewish religion and forced Jews to worship the Greek gods. The Maccabees, an army made up of followers of priest Mattahias and his son Judah Maccabee, rose up and pushed out King Antiochus IV. The Jews reclaimed the temple in the 160s BC, which is what the holiday honors.
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