The Feast of Dedication was an occasion for rejoicing and merriment, commemorating the restoration of the Temple after the exile to Babylon in 515 BC. It was the Maccabees who rebuilt it in 165 BC. The feast was held in early December, a season of cold and rain, since Jerusalem lies at the altitude of 750 meters.
Sikukuu ya Kutabaruku ilikuwa ni tokeo la furaha na uchangamfu kwa ajili ya kukumbuka hekalu lilivyojengwa tena baada ya Wayahudi kupelekwa Babeli na kurudi mwaka 515 kabla ya Kristo. Wamakabayo ndiyo walioijenga tena katika mwaka 165 kabla ya Kristo. Sikukuu yenyewe iliadhimishwa mwanzo wa Desemba, wakati wa baridi na mvua, maana Yerusalemu iko juu ya milima kwenye meta 750 juu ya bahari.