Ancient Observance
The first Hanukkah was a celebration of the restored Temple.
After regaining Jerusalem, Judah Maccabee and his followers removed objects connected with the Temple's desecration. They built a new altar and restored the sacred furnishings.
Temple worship began again. Lamps were lit, incense was offered and sacrifices resumed.
The dedication was celebrated for eight days with joy and thanksgiving. The people then established an annual observance to remember what had happened.
Second Maccabees describes the celebration in language that recalls Sukkot. The Jewish fighters had been unable to celebrate Sukkot normally while the conflict was taking place. The restored Temple now gave them an opportunity for a great festival of thanksgiving.
The familiar story of one container of oil burning for eight days does not appear in these earliest accounts. That story appears centuries later in rabbinic literature.