Five facts you didn’t know about Hanukkah
The IndependentStay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Jews across the world will spend eight days celebrating Hanukkah, or the Jewish Festival of Lights this month. Only one small jar of oil was found to be burnt, enough for one day, but miraculously the lamp stayed alight for eight days and Hanukkah celebrates this miracle. Hanukkah means eating doughnuts To commemorate the miracle of the burning lamp, Jews customarily eat foods fried in oil and this means doughnuts. 5) Exchanging gifts Traditionally Jews only exchanged gifts on Purim, a Jewish holiday commemorating the time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination by a young woman called Esther.