מַאי חֲנוּכָּה? דְּתָנוּ רַבָּנַן: בְּכ״ה בְּכִסְלֵיו יוֹמֵי דַחֲנוּכָּה תְּמָנְיָא אִינּוּן דְּלָא לְמִסְפַּד בְּהוֹן וּדְלָא לְהִתְעַנּוֹת בְּהוֹן. שֶׁכְּשֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ יְווֹנִים לַהֵיכָל טִמְּאוּ כׇּל הַשְּׁמָנִים שֶׁבַּהֵיכָל. וּכְשֶׁגָּבְרָה מַלְכוּת בֵּית חַשְׁמוֹנַאי וְנִצְּחוּם, בָּדְקוּ וְלֹא מָצְאוּ אֶלָּא פַּךְ אֶחָד שֶׁל שֶׁמֶן שֶׁהָיָה מוּנָּח בְּחוֹתָמוֹ שֶׁל כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל, וְלֹא הָיָה בּוֹ אֶלָּא לְהַדְלִיק יוֹם אֶחָד. נַעֲשָׂה בּוֹ נֵס וְהִדְלִיקוּ מִמֶּנּוּ שְׁמוֹנָה יָמִים. לְשָׁנָה אַחֶרֶת קְבָעוּם וַעֲשָׂאוּם יָמִים טוֹבִים בְּהַלֵּל וְהוֹדָאָה.
The Gemara asks: What is Hanukkah, and why are lights kindled on Hanukkah? The Gemara answers: The Sages taught in Megillat Ta’anit: On the twenty-fifth of Kislev, the days of Hanukkah are eight. One may not eulogize on them and one may not fast on them. What is the reason? When the Greeks entered the Sanctuary they defiled all the oils that were in the Sanctuary by touching them. And when the Hasmonean monarchy overcame them and emerged victorious over them, they searched and found only one cruse of oil that was placed with the seal of the High Priest, undisturbed by the Greeks. And there was sufficient oil there to light the candelabrum for only one day. A miracle occurred and they lit the candelabrum from it eight days. The next year the Sages instituted those days and made them holidays with recitation of hallel and special thanksgiving in prayer and blessings.
היו באותו הנס - שגזרו יוונים על כל בתולות הנשואות להיבעל לטפסר תחלה ועל יד אשה נעשה הנס:
They were part of the same miracle – when the Greeks decreed that Jewish virgin brides were to be bedded first by the ruler, a woman brought about the miraculous rescue.
שאף הן היו באותו הנס. פירש רשב"ם שעיקר הנס היה על ידן בפורים על ידי אסתר בחנוכה על ידי יהודית בפסח שבזכות צדקניות שבאותו הדור נגאלו ...
Since they were also part of the same miracle. Rashbam explained, that the primary part of the miracle was done by them; Purim - by Esther, Chanukah - by Judith, Pesach - for they were saved in the merit of the righteous ones of that generation...
(א) בְּכ''ה בְּכִסְלֵו מַתְחִילִין שְׁמוֹנַת יְמֵי חֲנֻכָּה וַאֲסוּרִים בְּהֶסְפֵּד וְתַעֲנִית, אֲבָל מֻתָּרִין בַּעֲשִׂיַּת מְלָאכָה; וְנוֹהֲגוֹת הַנָּשִׁים שֶׁלֹּא לַעֲשׂוֹת מְלָאכָה בְּעוֹד שֶׁהַנֵּרוֹת דּוֹלְקוֹת, וְיֵשׁ מִי שֶׁאוֹמֵר שֶׁאֵין לְהָקֵל לָהֶם.
(1) On the 25th of Kislev (start) the eight days of Hanukkah, and they are prohibited for eulogizing and fasting, but are permitted for doing work. The women have made it a custom not to do work while the candles are burning. And there is [an opinion] that says that we may not be lenient for them.
ונשים חייבות בנר חנוכה שאף הן היו באותו הנס. פי׳ שהאויבים באו לאבד הכל אנשים ונשים וטף. ויש מפרשים שעל ידי אשה אירע להם הנס הגדול ההוא ושמה יהודית כמו שמפורש בהגדה בת היתה ליוחנן כהן גדול והיתה יפת תואר מאד ואמר המלך יון שתשכב עמו והאכילתו תבשיל של גבינה כדי שיצמא וישתה לרוב וישתכר וישכב וירדם ויהי לה כן וישכב וירדם ותקח חרבו וחתכה ראשו ותביאהו לירושלם וכראות החיל כי מת גבורם וינוסו. ועל כן נהגו לעשות תבשיל של גבנה בחנוכה.
Women are obligated to light Hannukah candles, for they too were included in the miracle. This means that the enemies came to destroy everyone, men, women, and children, and there are those who say that the great miracle occurred through a woman. Her name was Judith, as the story goes, and she was the daughter of Yochanan, the high priest. She was extremely beautiful, and the Greek king wanted her to lay with him. She fed him a dish of cheese to make him thirsty, so that he would drink a great deal and became drunk, and recline and fall asleep. And it happened just that way, and once he was asleep, she took his sword and cut off his head. She brought his head to Jerusalem, and when the armies saw that their leader had been killed, they fled. For this reason, we have the custom of eating a cheese dish on Hannukah.
Rabbi Jill Hammer (telshemesh.org):
The seventh night of Chanukah, Chag haBanot, is a North African Jewish women's holiday. In Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, women would celebrate Chag haBanot by feasting and remembering the heroine Judith, who saved her village from destruction by seducing and killing an enemy general (the story is told in the apocryphal book of Judith. Some women would go to synagogue and touch the Torah--it was the only time of year they were permitted to do so--and make prayers for their daughters. In other places, women would give inheritances to their daughters on that day, or a groom would bring presents to his bride (see The Book of Festivals, Dr. Yom Tov Lewinsky).
The holiday falls on the new moon, a time especially associated with women, and on the longest new-moon night of the year. Perhaps it is the most powerful new moon of all because of the length of the night. So it makes sense that this day was chosen in medieval times as a day to celebrate women. Few women still remember the practice of this holiday, but one eyewitness account says that special round cakes were baked, and this is evocative--in some cultures cakes are baked to honor the Divine feminine.
In response to my attempts to reclaim this holiday, an artist (I have not learned her name) has created the Chag haBanot box, a ceramic box for giving to women you honor (your daughter, bride, sister, friend, teacher, etc.) a legacy you wish to pass on--a photograph, jewelry, a story. One ritual to perform on this night is to pass on your own "new moon" wisdom--whatever brings you light when there is darkness--to someone you love. Another ritual might be to light an extra candle representing the new moon, as Sephardic women did, or create a special menorah only for the seventh night of Chanukah, perhaps out of floating candles, to represent the moon.