Hanukkah 2016: Dates, Rituals And History Of The Festival Of Lights

This article, originally published on Dec. 3, 2015, has been updated to reflect 2016 dates. Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, is celebrated for eight days beginning at sundown on Dec. 24, 2016. On the Hebrew calendar, the dates are 25 Kislev to 2 Tevet in the year 5777. An eight-day celebration, Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the second century B.C. during the Maccabean revolt against oppressive Greek rulers. Jews celebrate the holiday by light...