Feast of Dedication
- noun
- During the Feast of Dedication, families come together to enjoy traditional foods and play games.
Examples
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They danced and sang, and Judah called this holiday Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication.
Fiction book (1998) -
The Jewish community gathered to celebrate the Feast of Dedication, lighting candles for each night of Hanukkah.
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Each year, the Feast of Dedication serves as a reminder of the miracles and resilience of the Jewish people.
Synonyms
An eight-day Jewish festival when people light a menorah each night
An eight-day Jewish festival in winter called Hanukkah that celebrates the Temple in Jerusalem being made holy again
An eight-day Jewish festival when families light a special candle holder and eat traditional foods
An eight-day Jewish festival when families light candles to remember the Temple in Jerusalem being made holy again
An eight-day Jewish holiday celebrating the Temple in Jerusalem being made holy again by lighting a menorah
An eight-day Jewish holiday called Hanukkah when families light candles each night to remember a miracle
Surface Forms
Morphology
feast + of + dedication
The phrase literally combines 'feast' (a celebratory meal) with 'dedication' (a formal consecration), so an intermediate learner who knows those words can infer it denotes a celebration connected to a dedication. While the specific historical referent (Hanukkah, rededication of the Temple) is cultural knowledge beyond simple composition, the core meaning ('a festival celebrating a dedication') is directly derivable from the parts.
Etymology
Feast of Dedication comes from a time long ago when Jews cleaned and made the Temple in Jerusalem holy again after a victory, and they lit the Temple lamp even though only a small jar of oil was left and it kept burning for eight nights. That's why people remember the event by lighting a menorah each night during the eight-day festival, also called 'Hanukkah'.