Chanukah, Hanukkah blessings and Hanukkah foods

Chanukah

Chanukah or otherwise known as Hanukkah or the Festival of Lights, is a jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE, according to kiwipedia.

Chanukah is an 8-day festival observed by the kindling of the nine lights of a special candelabrum, one light a day and an extra light called a shamash is also lit each night for the purpose of lighting the others and is givem a distinct location.

In the United States, Chanukah is considered as a primary holiday during the Christmas and holiday season. 

Chanukah starts on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, and may occur from late November to late December on the Gregorian calendar.

Hanukkah blessings

During the eight-day festival, three Hanukkah blessings are often recited on the first night of hanukkah. On all subsequent nights, Jews recite only the first two. The Hanukkah blessings can be said before or after the candles are lit depending upon the tradition.

Blessing for lighting the candles
Main article: Menorah (Hanukkah)
???? ??? ?' ???????? ??? ?????, ??? ????? ??????? ????? ?????? ?? (??) ?????.‏

Transliteration: Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha?olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner (shel) hanuka.

Translation: "Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah light[s]."

Candle lighting blessings before Shabbat
Main article: Shabbat candles

Note: The Shabbat candles are lit at least eighteen minutes before sunset on Friday.
???? ??? ?' ???????? ??? ?????, ??? ????? ??????? ????? ?????? ?? ?? ???.‏

Transliteration: Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha?olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Shabbat.

Translation: "Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to light the Shabbat candle[s]."

Hanukkah foods

There is a custom of eating foods fried or baked in oil (preferably olive oil), as the original miracle of the Hanukkah menorah involved the discovery of a small flask of pure olive oil used by the Jewish High Priest, the Kohen Gadol. This small batch of olive oil was only supposed to last one day, and instead it lasted eight.

Accordingly, potato pancakes, known as latkes in Yiddish, are traditionally associated with Hanukkah, especially among Ashkenazi families, as they are prepared by frying in oil. Similarly, many Sephardic, Polish and Israeli families have the custom of eating all kinds of jam-filled doughnuts (Yiddish: ???????? pontshkes), (bimuelos, or sufganiyot) which are deep-fried in oil.

There is also a tradition of eating dairy products on Hanukkah that is recorded in rabbinic literature. This custom is seen as a commemoration of the involvement of Judith and thus women in the events of Hanukkah (see Judith and Holofernes above).

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