14 Hanukkah Celebrations From Around the World (PHOTOS)

Dec. 1 marked the beginning of Hanukkah, the Jewish "Festival of Lights", which runs through Dec. 9.

HuffPost bloggers Rabbi Laura Geller, Rabbi David Wolpe and Rabbi Shai Held have all offered insightful looks into the significance of Hanukkah and its central ritual of lighting the menorah.

While it is true that Hanukkah coincides closely with the Christmas holiday season and has subsequently become the most mainstream of Jewish holidays, the menorah ritual is widely observed by both local and national governments perhaps for another reason: The sole Jewish commandment of this holiday is to proclaim the Hanukkah miracle by placing the menorah in a window or other public space.

Huffington Post Religion has collected photos of several of these celebrations from around the world.