When is Hanukkah?
Hanukkah 2026 begins on the evening of Friday, December 4, 2026, when the first candle is lit, and its first full day is Saturday, December 5, 2026. The festival lasts eight nights and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12, 2026.
Hanukkah always starts on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar. That calendar is lunisolar: its months follow the moon, and a leap month is added seven times in every 19 years to keep the holidays in their seasons. As a result, Hanukkah moves around on the Gregorian calendar but always falls between late November and late December. In 2027 and 2030, Hanukkah overlaps Christmas Day.
Hanukkah dates for the coming years
| Hebrew year | First candle (evening of) | First day | Last day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5787 | Fri, Dec 4, 2026 | Sat, Dec 5 | Sat, Dec 12 |
| 5788 | Fri, Dec 24, 2027 | Sat, Dec 25 | Sat, Jan 1 |
| 5789 | Tue, Dec 12, 2028 | Wed, Dec 13 | Wed, Dec 20 |
| 5790 | Sat, Dec 1, 2029 | Sun, Dec 2 | Sun, Dec 9 |
| 5791 | Fri, Dec 20, 2030 | Sat, Dec 21 | Sat, Dec 28 |
| 5792 | Tue, Dec 9, 2031 | Wed, Dec 10 | Wed, Dec 17 |
| 5793 | Sat, Nov 27, 2032 | Sun, Nov 28 | Sun, Dec 5 |
| 5794 | Fri, Dec 16, 2033 | Sat, Dec 17 | Sat, Dec 24 |
Why Hanukkah starts the evening before
In the Jewish calendar a day runs from sunset to sunset, so every holiday begins in the evening. The first Hanukkah candle is lit on the evening that starts 25 Kislev, normally after nightfall, which is the day before the first full day shown in the countdown. On Friday evenings the candles are lit before sunset, ahead of the Shabbat candles, and on Saturday evenings after Shabbat ends.
The story of Hanukkah
Hanukkah, Hebrew for "dedication," commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the second century BCE. After the Seleucid king Antiochus IV outlawed Jewish practice and desecrated the Temple, a revolt led by the Maccabees, a family of priests, retook Jerusalem, and in 164 BCE the Temple was purified and rededicated. The Talmud adds the best-known part of the story: only one small jar of pure oil was found to light the Temple menorah, enough for a single day, yet it burned for eight days.
How Hanukkah is celebrated
Each night families light the hanukkiah, a menorah with eight branches plus a helper candle called the shamash, adding one candle per night until all eight burn on the last night. The menorah is often placed in a window to share the light with passersby. Foods fried in oil recall the miracle: potato latkes and sufganiyot, jelly-filled doughnuts. Children play dreidel, spinning a top marked with Hebrew letters that stand for "a great miracle happened there," often for chocolate coins called gelt, and many families exchange small gifts. Religiously Hanukkah is a minor festival, and work and school continue as normal. In the U.S. it is not a federal holiday, though a large National Menorah has been lit near the White House every year since 1979.
Planning with the countdown
- Candles: a full eight nights needs 44 candles (36 plus a shamash each night), which is why standard Hanukkah boxes hold 44.
- Gifts: if you give a gift each night, order online while the countdown still shows a few weeks so the first ones arrive in time.
- Gatherings: latke parties and community candle lightings tend to cluster on the weekend nights, so plan early.
Frequently asked questions
When does Hanukkah 2026 start?
The first candle of Hanukkah 2026 is lit on the evening of Friday, December 4, 2026. The first full day is Saturday, December 5, 2026, and the last day is Saturday, December 12, 2026.
Why does Hanukkah begin the evening before?
Jewish days begin at sunset, so the first night of Hanukkah, when the first candle is lit, comes on the evening before the first full day.
Why does the date of Hanukkah change every year?
Hanukkah is fixed at 25 Kislev on the Hebrew calendar, a lunisolar calendar that doesn’t line up with the Gregorian one. It always lands between late November and late December.
How long is Hanukkah?
Hanukkah lasts eight nights and eight days, from the evening before 25 Kislev until nightfall at the end of the eighth day.
How many candles do you need for Hanukkah?
Forty-four: one candle on the first night, two on the second and so on up to eight (36 in total), plus a shamash, the helper candle, every night.
Last updated: October 8, 2026