Hanukkah is an eight day celebration, commonly referred to as “the festival of lights,” which commemorates the reclamation of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. This year, Hanukkah began on the evening of Dec. 2.

For junior Emily Maier, Hanukkah is an opportunity to celebrate with her family.

“We light the candles every night and say the Hanukkah prayer,” Maier said. “Hanukkah is important to me because my mom is Jewish and my dad is Christian, so I think it’s special that my whole family celebrates with my mom and her side of the family.”

Sophomore Nathan Welz appreciates Hanukkah with his family as well.

“I enjoy spending time with family, but my favorite part would be the food, especially latkes,” Welz said.

Although junior Danielle Schiffman and her family are not very religious, they still celebrate and look forward to Hanukkah.

“We light candles and open presents during the eight days we celebrate,” Schiffman said. “My favorite part is getting to be with my family and eating lots of food!”

Students at Freedom will continue to participate in their holiday traditions until the last day of Hanukkah, Dec. 10.