Hanukkah is a Jewish festival that celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. According to Jewish writings, a Syrian king invaded the land of the Jewish people, outlawed Judaism and spoiled and disrespected the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The locals rebelled against this invasion and took back control of their land, religion and place of worship. It was decided that the dedication (commitment to a specific purpose) of the restored Temple should be celebrated every year. Thus was born Hanukkah, which itself means ‘dedication’ in Hebrew. 

1. Hanukkah is a holiday that celebrates oil. As per Jewish legend, when the Temple was disrespected, only one jar of oil was found to be unspoiled. It contained enough oil to burn for only one day, but lasted for eight days instead. 
2. Hanukkah is also the festival of lights. It is celebrated for eight days with the lighting of the menorah—a candelabra with eight branches. Each branch is lit with a candle on each day of the festival. On the eighth day, all eight branches burn with candles.
   
3. Since oil is important to the history of the festival, fried foods are prepared and eaten. Popular dishes include latkes (fried potato pancakes) with apple sauce and sour cream, and sufganiyot (homemade jelly doughnuts).
   
4. Children receive gifts in the form of money, which can be chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil. Known as gelt, it is also given away as a prize for spinning the dreidel. The dreidel is a four-sided top with Hebrew letters. Playing cards is also a popular Hanukkah tradition.
   
5. In Israel, Hanukkah is a national holiday, which means schools are closed. Students put on plays, sing holiday songs and throw parties. Menorahs are displayed on top of well-known buildings, such as the Israeli parliament. 
6. Another tradition in Israel is a relay from the city of Modi’in to Jerusalem. Runners carry torches. The relay ends at a monument called the Western Wall, the last remnant of the historical Temple. The torch is used to light the first candle of a giant menorah there.
7. Hanukkah has been celebrated in space! In 1993, NASA astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman was on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. After his third spacewalk, he celebrated the festival with an unlit menorah and by spinning a dreidel.
8. The world’s largest menorah is erected in New York City, USA every year for Hanukkah. It is 9.7 m tall, 8.5 m wide and weighs a whopping 1,814 kg!
   

Sources 

Hanukkah – Festival, Menorah, Lighting | Britannica 

13 Interesting Hanukkah Facts: History and How to Celebrate | GoodHousekeeping.com 

Space Station 20th: Celebrating the Holidays in Space | NASA 

Largest menorah | Guinness World Records 

World’s largest menorah will be lit tonight in New York City | CNN 

World’s Largest Menorah In Place At Grand Army Plaza, Ready To Mark Beginning Of Chanukah – CBS New York | CBSNews.com 

World’s Largest Menorah Goes Up in Manhattan – Untapped New York | untappedcities.com