Chanukah
Culture/religion: Judaism
Date: December 11-18
Chanukah is the Jewish eight-day festival of lights, celebrated each night with menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods. Chanukah means “dedication” in Hebrew and is named as such because it celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple. In second century BCE, Judah the Maccabee drove the Greeks from the land and reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, rededicating it to the service of God.
Chanukah began at sundown on December 10 and continues through December 18.
Alternate spelling: Hanukkah, Chanukkah
Pronunciation: KHAH-nik-uh / KHAH-noo-kah
Sources:
What is Hanukkah?, Chabad
Glossary of Jewish Terminology, Judaism 101, jewfaq.org