Hanukkah is lit! Eight crazy nights, pretty candles, dreidels, latkes, and presents because the oil was supposed to last for one day, but it lasted for eight, right? well, kinda. Here's the story...

In around 200 B.C. in the land of Judea, the Syrian king Antiochus IV outlawed the practice of Jewish religion and ordered Jews to worship Greek gods. Those who did not heed the decree were killed, and before you know it, we had a massacre on our hands. Us Jews, rightfully so, said "HELLNO. That's LITERALLY Commandment #1. No false idols! Monotheism all the way!" and banded together to fight Antiochus and the Syrian army. After desecrating the Temple in Jerusalem, erecting an alter to Zeus, and sacrificing pigs inside, the Jews had to fight back.

Against all odds, a small but mighty army led by the Hasmonean family — Judah Maccabee and his father Mattathias (Maccabee means "the Hammer."  What a boss.) —drove the Syrians out of Jerusalem. Using scrappy tactics and guerilla warfare, Judah and his army (the Maccabees) saved the Jews and took over. Pretty, pretty amazing. Miracle #1.

Once the Syrians were history, Judah called on his followers to cleanse the Temple, rebuild its altar, and light the eternal flame. This dedication (BTW, the word "Hanukkah" actually means "Dedication" and references this moment of the story) was nothing short of a miracle. As the story goes, the Jews had only enough untainted olive oil for one night. But the dang thing stayed LIT for eight whole nights. Miracle #2. That’s why we get eight nights of Hanukkah, eight branches on the chanukiyah (special menorah for Hanukkah), and why everything is fried in oil on this holiday. Latkes and donuts FTW.

Simple, classic Hanukkah story, right? Cut to: The Hasmoneans become just as Greek-influenced and power hungry as the Syrians before them. Because power corrupts, right? But that’s a story for another time…for now, we celebrate!