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Feast of Lights
[feest uhv lahyts]
Feast of Lights
noun
Judaism an English name for Hanukkah
Example Sentences
Each year at the Feast of Lights, when she sent her little candle floating down the river, she prayed for a child, but in vain.
She wrote shorter verses, too, and there are few Jewish boys and girls who have not recited or at least heard her stirring Chanukkah recitations, "The Feast of Lights," and "The Banner of the Jew."
S. Gregory Nyssen says that the Feast of Lights, and of the Baptism of Jesus Christ, was celebrated some days after that of His Nativity.
Isis was the Goddess of Sais; and the famous Feast of Lights was celebrated there in her honor.
The Greek and Latin Churches still term Christmas the "Feast of Lights," and make it a period of brilliancy in Church and home.
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When To Use
The Feast of Lights is another name for Hanukkah, an eight-day Jewish festival that commemorates the rededication of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century b.c.e. It usually occurs in December but can also happen in late November and can extend into January.Hanukkah, which can also be spelled Chanukah, is commonly interpreted as meaning āa dedicationā in Hebrew. Less commonly, the holiday is called the Feast of Dedication.The name Feast of Lights is also not commonly used. Hanukkah is much more commonly referred to as the Festival of Lights. These names refer to the fact that itās observed with the lighting of a multi-branched candelabrum called the menorah (or hanukiah or chanukiah). When it has nine candles, one of them is a āstarterā (technically called the shammes) thatās used to light the other eight candles. One candle is lit on each subsequent evening of the celebration, until all are lit. Special prayers may be said during the lighting of each candle or at different times of each day.The tradition of lighting the menorah during Hanukkah is done to commemorate the story of a miracle. According to the story, when the Temple was rededicated, its lamps burned miraculously for a week, even though there was not enough oil to fuel them.The rededication of the Temple occurred after Judea was liberated from Syrian occupation by the Maccabees, a family of Jews led by Judas Maccabaeus. They defeated the Syrians under Antiochus IV around 165 b.c.e.The timing of Hanukkah is based on the Jewish calendar and varies from year to year. It is celebrated on the 25th day of the month of Kislev to the 2nd of Tevet. This most often corresponds to an eight-day period in December.Common ways of celebrating Hanukkah include giving gifts to children and loved ones, having family dinners, and eating special foods like latkes. Children sometimes play games with a traditional toy called a dreidel, a kind of four-sided top.Example: We gather to light the menorah for the Feast of LightsāHanukkah!
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