Hanukkah 2021
The “Festival of Lights,” one of Judaism’s special events though not a biblical holiday, takes place in 2021 from sundown 11/28 – sundown 12/6. The eight-day celebration commemorates a Jewish victory in the second century B.C. over Greek-Syrian oppressors who sought to force the Jewish community to assimilate. It is NOT the “Jewish Christmas,” though there are some similarities. Both holidays celebrate light during a season of darkness, with symbolic candle lighting either from the branches of trees or from a menorah. Both Hanukkah and Christmas are shaped around messages of hope and miracles, a time of wonder meant to bring families together.