Why Hanukkah?

"Hanukkah" literally means "dedication". In the Books of Maccabees (which refers to the Kohenic dynasty of the Maccabees), the story of how the Maccabee Family took the Temple back from the Syrians and Greeks who had desecrated it is told. Originally meant to belatedly celebrate Sukkot, Hanukkah became the remembrance and celebration of the retaking of the Temple.

The Pharisees set up the traditions for how Hanukkah is to be celebrated. They relate that one of the Maccabees could not find enough oil for the menorah to be lit continually, but only for a night. The oil instead let the menorah be lit for eight days, according to those same Pharisees.

Jesus celebrated Hanukkah. So, Hanukkah as a historic event really did happen, but the Books of Maccabees are not part of Tanakh.