At dusk on Sunday, December 14, the Jewish people will begin the festival of Hanukkah, which tradition has given various names: the Festival of Lights, the Festival of Faith, the Festival of Dedication, and the Festival of the Miracle.
The festival begins a few minutes after sunset with the lighting of the first of eight candles; one is lit each day—always the central candle of the special nine-branched candelabra—over the course of the following eight days.