Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is a significant Jewish holiday. It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The festival lasts for eight days, symbolising the miracle of the menorah.

When does Hanukkah start this year? And what's the correct way to light a menorah? Here are answers to some of the key questions people usually ask about Hanukkah.

Hanukkah festivities light up Jerusalem as the Jewish holiday begins on Wednesday. This year marks a rare convergence, as Hanukkah and Christmas share the same date for the first time since 2005.

Long Island Jews were expected to celebrate the start of Hanukkah Wednesday with traditional dreidels, menorah lightings and, of course, latkes as the holiday — in a calendar rarity — landed this year on Christmas Day for the first time in nearly two decades.

Christmas Day also marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday Hanukkah - it's the first time in 19 years that both holidays begin at the same time. The eight-day-long festival features the lighting of a Hanukkah menorah every evening to symbolize God's presence.

On eight consecutive nightfalls, Jews gather with family and friends to light one additional candle in the menorah — a multi-branched candelabra.