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The Chanukah menorah (a candle-lit lamp), or hanukiah, which consists of nine candleholders, is a special kind of menorah which is used during the eight day "Festival of Lights" ceremony. One candle is lit on the first day and an additional one is lit on each succeeding night until all eight candles are lit. This candle-lighting ritual is performed to commemorate the fact that, after recapturing the Temple from the Greeks, Judah Macabee and his followers were able to use a minute amount of oil to light the Temple candelabrum for a period of eight days. On the eighth day, a new supply of oil arrived. On each night of Chanukah, an additional candle known as a shamash or caretaker, is lit and is used to light the other candles. Consequently, the hanukiah consists of nine branches instead of eight.

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