Most people today think of Hanukkah as nothing more than a little oil that lasted for 8 days. Of all the original writing concerning the defeat of the Greek army, there is no mention of this either by the Maccabees or even Josephus. The first time this story is mentioned is found in a document from the fifth century AD almost 700 years after the event. So why does Hanukkah last eight days? 2 Maccabees 10:6, “And they celebrated it for eight days with rejoicing, in the manner of the feast of booths, remembering how not long before, during the feast of booths, they had been wandering in the mountains and caves like wild animals.” The people at the time chose a celebration based on the great feast, Sukkot, the feast of tabernacles to commemorate the rededication of the temple and remember all of the miracles that the Creator did to make it possible.