Feast of Lights
- noun
- /fiːst əv laɪts/
- The family celebrated the Feast of Lights by lighting candles each night.
Examples
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The Feast of Lights lasts for eight days and is celebrated with prayers and songs.
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The Feast of Lights is a time for remembering miracles and rededication.
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Many people give gifts to children during the Feast of Lights.
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The Feast of Lights begins at sundown.
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Many families celebrate the Feast of Lights with special traditions.
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During the Feast of Lights, families gather to light the menorah each night.
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Children look forward to receiving gifts and playing dreidel during the Feast of Lights.
Synonyms
An eight-day Jewish festival when people light a menorah each night
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 festival in winter called Hanukkah that celebrates the Temple in Jerusalem being made holy again
An eight-day Jewish festival also called Hanukkah that remembers the Temple in Jerusalem being made holy again
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase composes 'feast' (a celebratory meal/festival) with 'lights', so a B1 learner who knows those words will readily infer it denotes a celebration involving lights. They may not know the specific religious/historical details or that it refers to Hanukkah, but the core meaning is transparently derived from the constituents and this construction is cross-linguistically common.
Etymology
Feast of Lights is another name for the Jewish holiday 'Hanukkah'. One popular story says a small jar of oil kept the Temple's lamp burning for eight days, so people light candles each night to remember that miracle and the holiday's focus on lights.