Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

From December 25 to January 2, Jewish people in Bulgaria and around the world will light Hanukkah candles

Hannukah celebration in the central Sofia synagogue
Photo: BGNES

At sunset on December 25, the Jewish community begins to celebrate Hanukkah. The holiday begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar and, depending on the year, can fall in November or December. 

By lighting 9 candles or ritual oil in the Hanukkah menorah, or hanukkiah, Jews commemorate the miracle of the second consecration of the Temple, when the myrrh burned for 9 days without being topped up. 


The rededication of the Temple took place during the Maccabean revolt in 166 BC, when the Jews were freed from the rule of the Seleucids. 

Like Christmas, Hanukkah is a family holiday, children receive gifts and treats for 8 days, and adults eat mainly dishes cooked with meat and oil.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

110 years since the test flight of the first Bulgarian aeroplane

On 10 August 1915, the first Bulgarian-built aeroplane took to the skies for a test flight in Bozhurishte. It was designed by inventor Assen Yordanov, whose name still features in the textbooks used to train pilots and engineers today. From an early..

published on 8/10/25 8:50 AM

Exhibition in Sozopol showcases monuments from ancient cities around the Black Sea

A trilingual exhibition titled “Egyptian Cults around the Black Sea” opens today at 6 PM at the Archaeological Museum in Sozopol , according to BNR – Burgas. Part of an international research project, the exhibition is organized by the Institute of..

published on 8/7/25 5:55 PM
The building of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox church

Bulgarian Orthodox Church calls for vigilance against self-proclaimed spiritual leaders

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has issued an official statement on “pagan neo-Hindu propaganda with pseudo-Christian elements”. The bishops of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church call for greater vigilance against “touring gurus, self-proclaimed “spiritual..

published on 8/7/25 10:14 AM