The Hanukkah 2024 stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp in panes of 20. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price.
With the issuance of this stamp, the U.S. Postal Service celebrates the joyous holiday of Hanukkah with a charming image of a hanukiah, the nine-branch candelabra used only at Hanukkah.
Hanukkah is the Hebrew word for “dedication”. Tradition relates how a miracle took place after the Maccabees reclaimed the Temple in Jerusalem. During the rededication of the Temple, Jewish worshippers discovered that only one small jar of consecrated oil remained, enough to last just one day.
They lit the Temple menorah, which miraculously burned for eight days, providing enough time to produce more oil.
Today the miracle of the oil is celebrated each year at Hanukkah with the ceremonial lighting of the hanukiah.
The hanukiah features a center candle, the shamash or helper, used to light the other eight candles, which symbolize the miracle of the oil.