Canada unveils striking 2023 Hanukkah stamp

By Molly Goad

The newest stamp from Canada Post celebrates the eight-day festival of Hanukkah, showcasing an illustration of a hanukkiyah (a Hanukkah menorah) surrounded by flowers and elements symbolizing the holiday’s festivities.

Canada Post issued the nondenominated permanent-rate (currently 92¢) stamp Nov. 16 in a booklet of six. It is Canada’s sixth Hanukkah stamp, following releases in 2017 (Scott 3051), 2019 (3205), 2020 (3258), 2021 (3313) and 2022 (3368).

Also called the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah commemorates the historic rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Jewish people reclaimed it around 165 B.C.

The tradition holds that the temple menorah miraculously burned for eight days using only a day’s worth of olive oil, an event commemorated annually by kindling a Hanukkah menorah (a candelabrum with eight candles or oil holders).

Central to Hanukkah celebrations is the nightly menorah lighting, accompanied by the consumption of fried foods, such as latkes and jelly doughnuts. Olives, olive branches, and oil cruses often symbolize the miracle at the heart of the Hanukkah narrative.

This year, Hanukkah takes place from nightfall Dec. 7 to nightfall Dec. 15.

Canada’s new Hanukkah stamp displays an illustration of a Hanukkah menorah adorned with eight white candles and a central helper candle casting warm-toned flames. Surrounding the hanukkiyah are images of …

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