A joyful celebration of faith and tenacity, Hanukkah – also known as the Festival of Lights – takes place this year from nightfall November 28 to nightfall December 6.

A central element of the well-known Jewish festival is the practice of kindling a Hanukkah menorah, a special eight-branched candelabra called a hanukkiyah. The tradition commemorates the miracle that took place more than 2,000 years ago, after the victory of the Maccabees, when the menorah in the rededicated Temple in Jerusalem burned for eight straight days on a single day’s worth of oil.

Hanukkah celebrants use the flame from a shamash, a “helper” candle, to kindle an additional light on the hanukkiyah each evening, for eight days. The small oil or wax candles are lit after sunset, often by different members of the household, and allowed to burn down completely before being replaced the next day.

The hanukkiyah is usually placed in a window, so it can share its light with the world. Many families display several in their homes – some handed down from generation to generation or crafted by children at school. Like the radiant image created for this stamp by designers Joseph Gault and Avi Dunkelman, they symbolize Hanukkah’s timeless message of hope for the future.