Chanukah celebrates the miracle of the oil and repelling Seleucids. Where do the celebrations come from?

Latkes couldn't be more than a few hundred years old (in their present form) based on the ingredients, and moreover I'm pretty sure it's Yiddish. Likewise the modern celebration involves candles even though the miracle being celebrated is an extension of oil.

What was this holiday like "back in the old days," and how did it wind up in it's present form?

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Edit: I'm not sure why this got tagged "Christmas" but.... yikes!