Macabees Liberated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and Holiday of Chanukah

On the 25th of Kislev, 3622 BCE (acknowledged this year on December 12th, 2009) the Maccabees liberated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, after defeating the vastly more numerous and powerful armies of the Syrian-Greek king Antiochus IV, who had tried to forcefully uproot the beliefs and practices of Judaism from the people of Israel. The victorious Jews repaired, cleansed and rededicated the Temple to the service of G-d. But all the Temple's oil had been defiled by the pagan invaders; when the Jews sought to light the Temple's menorah (candelabra), they found only one small cruse of ritually pure olive oil. Miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, until new, pure oil could be obtained. In commemoration, the Sages instituted the 8-day festival of Chanukah, on which lights are kindled nightly to recall and publicize the miracle.

Chanukah (pronounced KHAH-noo-kah) means "dedication." It is an eight-day holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple after a period of enemy occupation.