Hanukkah Music: Soundtrack Your Eight Nights of Celebrations with Radio Hanukkah

This year, Hanukkah begins on December 25, and SiriusXM has the perfect channel of Hanukkah music to soundtrack your eight nights of celebrations and beyond.

Available to stream on the SiriusXM app from December 24 through January 3, Radio Hanukkah plays an extensive collection of Hanukkah music — including contemporary, traditional, and children’s selections themed around the festival— as well as prayers and daily reflections.

Radio HanukkahMusic, daily reflections & prayersListen on the AppListen on the App

Hanukkah Music

Radio Hanukkah is the perfect accompaniment to the Festival of Lights. You’ll find modern Jewish singers like Neshama Carlebach and Stacy Beyer alongside more traditional fare, such as the group Angel City Chorale, who provide beautiful choral arrangements of classic Hanukkah songs.

If you’re looking for even more Hanukkah-themed hits while enjoying your freshly made latkes, you can hear singer and rapper Matisyahu’s live performance at the SiriusXM studios below.

The Story of Hanukkah

Once upon a time, over 2,000 years ago, in the ancient land of Judea, there lived a group of people known as the Jews. The ruler of the land, King Antiochus IV, wasn’t exactly a fan of religious freedom. In fact, he decided that everyone in his kingdom should follow the same rules and worship the same gods.

Now, the Jewish people weren’t too thrilled about this, especially when King Antiochus decided to turn their beloved temple in Jerusalem into a shrine for his own gods. A brave group of rebels, led by a man named Judah Maccabee, decided they’d had enough of this nonsense.

In a dazzling display of determination and courage, the Maccabees fought back against the mighty forces of King Antiochus. Against all odds, they managed to reclaim their temple. However, when it was time to light the temple’s menorah, a sacred candelabrum, they realized there was only enough oil for one day.

Here’s where the magic happened! Miraculously, that tiny bit of oil burned not for one day, but for eight whole days, allowing the Jews to celebrate and rededicate their temple. And that, my friend, is why Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights.

To commemorate this miraculous event, Jews around the world celebrate Hanukkah by lighting the menorah for eight nights, adding one candle each evening. They also enjoy delicious fried foods like latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly-filled donuts) to remember the miracle of the oil.