5 things to know about Hanukkah

Hanukkah or Chanukah? There are two spellings to this auspicious occasion, but "Hanukkah" and "Chanukah" are one and the same. The game of dreidel was inspired by a German game played at Christmastime, which is itself an imitation of an English and Irish one. The holiday lasts eight nights, which means eight gifts! Traditionally, parents gave "gelt" (money in Yiddish), to their children, but it has evolved into presents. Oily food like latkes and sufganiyot (a.k.a donuts) isn’t Hanukkah’s only culinary tradition. Traditionally, Hanukkah has included foods with cheese in recognition of Judith, whose liberal use of the salty treat facilitated a victory for the Maccabees. The largest Menorah in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is 32 feet high and weighs 4,000 pounds, and its located in Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, N.Y.