Hanukkah Commemorative

This stamp depicts a menorah, the central symbol of the Jewish Holiday of Hanukkah. Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Jews over the Seleucid Empire in 165 B.C.E. According to tradition the efforts to reconsecrate the Temple of Jerusalem were stymied when only one day's worth of sacramental oil was found. But miraculously the oil lasted for eight days. To celebrate this event the candles on the menorah are lit, one for each of the eight days. Singing, the exchange of gifts and the spinning of the dreidel (a top made out of clay) are other traditions. The holiday falls during the winter in the 25th day of Kislev in the Hebrew Calendar. However since this calendar is based on the moon, the date shifts in relation to the Gregorian Calendar. In 2009 Hanukkah begins on December 1.