Mode m which ihU Festival wa$ attddOlii eekbraied. — It commenced on the 26th of Chisleu (see Calbm- DAB, Jewish), and lasted eight days, but it did not re- quire attendance at Jerusalem. (Jesus, however, was present there during this season, xci/imv, or winter, John X, 20.) It was an occasion of much festivity. The Jews assembled in the Temple or in the syna- gogues of the places wherein they resided (Roth ha- ShanOf xviii, 2), carrying branches of trees and palms in their hands, and sang psalms to the God of their salvation. No ikst or mourning on account of any calamity or bereavement was permitted to commence during the festival (Mishna, Taanith, ii, 10; Moed Katon^ iii, 9) ; the Temple and all private houses were lighted up within and without by lanterns and torches every evening during the eight days in token of this joy (1 Mace., iv, 62-69 ; 2 Mace, x, 6^ ete. ; Mishna, Baba Kama^ v, 6), for which reasons Josephus also calls it \v-xyiitv dvaKavffeiQ, the Featt of Lamps (comp. AfA, xii, 7, 7, with Ajitm, ii, 89). Maimonides, in discours- ing upon this subject, distincUy declares that "the lighting up of the lamps is a commandment fitnn the scribes.** ** The order is, ** says he, " that every house should light one light, whether the inmates thereof be many or only one. He, however, who honors the in- junction has as many lights as there are inmates in the house^^e has a light for every man and woman. And he who respecto it still more adds a light for ev- ery individual every night, so that if a house wherein are ten inmates began with ten lights, it would end witii eighty*' (Mishna, Torah ffilchoth MegiUah Fa- Ch'tnukahy sec. iv, p. 826, b). These lamps most be lighted inimediately after sunset by the head of the fiimily, who pronounces the three following benedic- tions : 1. * ' Blessed art thou. Lord our God, King of the world, who hast sanctified us with thy commandments, and enjoined upon us to light the lamps of the Feast of the Dedication.** 2. ** Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the world, who hast done wonders for our forefathers in those days about this time ;** and, 8. ** Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the world, who hast preserved us in life and health, and hast per^ mitted us to see this day!** The third benediction, however, is only pronounced on the first day of this festival. The practice of illumination in connection with this festival is, as we have seen, ofVery old date, and was most probably suggested by the foct that '*the lamps which were upon the candlestick** were lighted by the people at the restoration of the Temple %rvice (1 Mace, iv, 50, 61), as well as by the natural
iding existing among most nations to have illumina-
tions on occasiont of great joy. The BgrfSsm had a similar festival (Herod, ii, fi2>. Mitfa^ very great antiquity, however, give annthfT nasa this custom of lighting Uunpft. They tell m **when the Maccabees weat Into tlie Teaqife t vanquishing the enemy, and wMited to H^ the dlestick, th^ could not find any oH, except «M<k and it was sealed with tbe ring of the bigH>* which assured them that it was not poilated, ^ was just enou|^ to light one day. WlMxet^M 64 whose glory dwelleth in tbe heawu, bleeeei iii tiiat they were able to food the lamps thomrid i eight days. Wherefore the Macoabeaa and a^ ' people, like one man, have ordained that tbes» e days diould henceforth be days of joy and rtjeez^ like the festivals ordained in the law, and that Ik should be lighted on those days, to make ~ wondrous works which the God of the iMaveBi kd wrought for them*' {MegiUatk AwHoekus, p. 14d. Jellinek; Talmud, SabbHtk, 21, »). Now, we may think about the embelliahments of tie it is not at all unlikely tliat a vial of oQ was m discovered in the Temple just at a time when k M most wanted, and that this is one of the reasoss i ' the lighting of lamps has been inslituted.
At every morning prayer during the whole d festival, a portion of the 7th chapter of Nuabe^i read in the synagogue by the prelector, in acoardm with a very old custom (Mishna, Me^tOtL, m, €): ei on the first day. Num. vii, 1-17, is read after the k lar lesson of the Penteteuch, if it is a SsbbatlL the Haphtorah, or the portion firom the Ph)pfe(tK.i1 Zech. ii ; on the second. Num. vii, lS-23;, is leai ^ ginning with *' On the second day,*' etc^ aad the a» Haphtorah ; on the third day. Num. tH, 3^291 a. the same Haphtorah, and so on. In the Tes^ tf Jerusalem, the '* Hallel** was song every day d & foast. Connected with thb festival is tbe eafelntiQ of the exploite performed by Judith (q. v.) vpea Bib- femes, because, as some suppose, she was of the sttxt of the Maccabees. Hence some of the MifaMkx which give the history of Judas MaccabeB« wax ^ with it the history of Juditii.
Modem Jews keep the feast of lights Tery siricdr, but servile work is not forbidden to ht dooa. TW feast is observed as one of rejoicing for the wato which God wrought for them. During the eight ^ parento and children amuse themselves in diflen^a- nocent games, particularly the last night, whea B2%^ bors and Mends meet together to ei^joy tbteam^t^n. The Karaites, however, do not observe this fertiral, be- cause it is an uninspired ordinance.