Photo of the Hanukkah candles by Tamar Pewzner. 

The Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah, the feast of the luminaries, and the chandelier is the symbol of this festivity. During the eight days of the celebration of Hanukkah, a candle is lit at sunset, in a visible place of the house. These candles are intended to serve as testimonies of the miracle. The days on which Hanukkah is celebrated are days of rejoicing and praise. In this celebration a tribute is paid to the miracle of the eight days and a message of hope is transmitted to all the Jewish people.

The main tradition of this festival, is to ignite, progressively, a nine-branched candelabra called Hanukkah (one for each of the days plus a ninth arm). It is customary to meet as a family for the lighting of the Hanukkiah and to exchange gifts. The middle candle, called the "shamash", is used to light the other candles, every night. Thus, on the first night of Chanukah, two candles are lit and on the last night, there are nine lit candles. When the candles are lit, a series of blessings are recited in Hebrew.