Hanukkah candlestick

Belmonte

Hanukkah, the Jewish festival, marks the freeing and purification of the Temple in Jerusalem and the revolt against the Seleucids led by Matatias Maccabee and his five sons, as described in the Old Testament. “After the Temple was freed, it was found that there was only enough olive oil to keep the eternal flame burning for one more day. But the flame burned for eight days, the time needed to make and consecrate more olive oil for the Temple.” The feast is marked “by a family atmosphere and great joy, and during it, a candlestick of nine branches is used, with one candle being lit each day in remembrance of the eight days the flame burned miraculously. The ninth branch of the candlestick, placed in the centre and taller than the others, is the shamash, the candle used to light the others.”