Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, when the first candle is lit, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12. The eight-night festival, also spelled Chanukah, celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC and the miracle of the oil. In 2027, Hanukkah begins on the evening of Friday, December 24, on Christmas Eve.
Hanukkah dates
| Year | First candle (evening) | Last (8th) candle | Ends at nightfall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday, December 4 | Friday, December 11 | Saturday, December 12 |
| 2027 | Friday, December 24 | Friday, December 31 | Saturday, January 1, 2028 |
| 2028 | Tuesday, December 12 | Tuesday, December 19 | Wednesday, December 20 |
| 2029 | Saturday, December 1 | Saturday, December 8 | Sunday, December 9 |
| 2030 | Friday, December 20 | Friday, December 27 | Saturday, December 28 |
Jewish holidays begin at sundown, so the "first day" of Hanukkah on many calendars is the day after the first candle is lit. Count down with days until Hanukkah, or for kids, sleeps until Hanukkah.
Why the date changes every year
Hanukkah always begins on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar. The Hebrew calendar is lunisolar: months follow the Moon, about 29.5 days each, so a 12-month year is about 11 days shorter than a solar year. To keep festivals in their proper seasons, a 13th month is added seven times in every 19 years. As a result, Hanukkah drifts earlier by about 11 days in ordinary years and jumps later in leap years, always landing between late November and late December.
That's how 2013 produced "Thanksgivukkah", when the first day of Hanukkah fell on Thanksgiving, a coincidence that won't happen again for tens of thousands of years under current calendar rules. Learn more in lunar and lunisolar holidays explained.
The story of Hanukkah
In the 160s BC, Judea was ruled by the Seleucid Empire, whose king, Antiochus IV, outlawed Jewish practice and desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem. A small band of rebels led by Judah Maccabee and his brothers, known as the Maccabees, won a series of improbable victories and recaptured the Temple in about 164 BC.
"Hanukkah" means "dedication" in Hebrew. According to the Talmud, when the Maccabees came to rededicate the Temple and relight its menorah, they found only one jar of pure oil, enough for a single day. The oil burned for eight days, long enough to prepare more. That miracle is why Hanukkah lasts eight nights and is celebrated with light and with foods fried in oil.
How to light the menorah
The Hanukkah menorah, or hanukkiah, has nine branches: eight for the nights of the festival and one, the shamash ("helper"), used to light the others.
- Night 1: place one candle on the far right of the menorah, plus the shamash.
- Each following night: add one candle to the left of the previous night's candles.
- Light from left to right: using the shamash, light the newest (leftmost) candle first, then move right.
- Blessings: blessings are said before lighting, with an extra blessing on the first night.
- Display: place the menorah in a window or doorway to "publicize the miracle".
By the eighth night, all eight candles and the shamash are lit, 44 candles in total over the festival. On Friday evening, Hanukkah candles are lit before the Shabbat candles, and on Saturday evening after Shabbat ends. In 2026, both happen on the first and last weekends of the festival.
Hanukkah foods and traditions
- Latkes: potato pancakes fried in oil, a favorite in Ashkenazi families, served with applesauce or sour cream.
- Sufganiyot: jelly-filled doughnuts, hugely popular in Israel.
- Dreidel: a four-sided spinning top marked with Hebrew letters standing for "a great miracle happened there" (in Israel, "here"). Players spin for chocolate coins or nuts.
- Gelt: money or chocolate coins given to children.
- Gifts: in the US, many families give small gifts on each night.
Hanukkah is a relatively minor holiday in Jewish religious terms, so work and school continue as normal. Its prominence in America owes a lot to its timing near Christmas.
Hanukkah and Christmas
Because of the lunisolar calendar, Hanukkah can begin anywhere from about four weeks before Christmas to Christmas Eve itself, as in 2027 and 2016. Interfaith families sometimes celebrate both, and many cities light public menorahs alongside Christmas trees. For the other December celebrations, see what is Advent and Kwanzaa.
Planning gatherings? The 2026 calendar shows Hanukkah alongside other holidays, and the custom countdown can make a shareable timer for your family party.
Frequently asked questions
When does Hanukkah start in 2026?
At sundown on Friday, December 4, 2026.
How long is Hanukkah?
Eight nights and eight days.
When is Hanukkah 2027?
From sundown on Friday, December 24, 2027 to nightfall on Saturday, January 1, 2028.
Why are there different spellings?
The name is transliterated from Hebrew, which uses a different alphabet. Hanukkah and Chanukah are the most common spellings.