Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights, is an eight day festival in Judaism commemorating the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE. Hanukkah celebrates religious freedom and deliverance from oppression.
The story of Hanukkah comes from the books of First and Second Maccabees, which were non-canonical additions to the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible.
Hanukkah customs include eating latkes (potato pancakes), sufganiyot (donuts), or other foods baked in oil; playing games of chance with a spinning top called a dreidel; and giving gelt (monetary or chocolate coins) and other gifts.