Hanukkah
Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is an eight-night celebration commemorating the miracle of the Temple oil and the Maccabean victory over the Seleucid Greek empire. In 2026 the eight nights run from the first candle on the evening of Friday, December 4 to nightfall on Saturday, December 12. It begins on the twenty-fifth of Kislev and is marked by lighting the Hanukkiah, adding one candle each night, playing dreidel, exchanging gifts, and eating fried foods such as latkes and sufganiyot. The traditional greeting is Chag Urim Sameach, happy Festival of Lights.
The Festival of Lights, eight nights of celebration commemorating the miracle of the Temple oil and the Maccabean victory over the Seleucid Greek empire, with the Temple rededicated around 164 BCE. Hanukkah begins on the twenty-fifth of Kislev and, while relatively minor in the Jewish religious calendar, has become one of the most widely recognized Jewish holidays worldwide.
One night's worth of oil that burned for eight, a small light that refused to go out.
Hanukkah 2026 Candle-Lighting Schedule
Hanukkah 2026 begins on the evening of Friday, December 4 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12. Each night the candles are placed from right to left and lit from left to right, newest candle first, using the shamash. On weeknights, light at dusk or after dark, following your family's custom. Across all eight nights you will need 44 candles, shamash included. Still need a menorah? Start with our guide to a quality hanukkiah.
| Night | Evening of | Candles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friday, December 4 | 1 candle + shamash | Shabbat: light before sundown and before the Shabbat candles. Use candles large enough to burn until at least half an hour after nightfall. |
| 2 | Saturday, December 5 | 2 candles + shamash | Shabbat: wait until Shabbat ends at nightfall. In many homes Havdalah is said first, then the menorah is lit. |
| 3 | Sunday, December 6 | 3 candles + shamash | |
| 4 | Monday, December 7 | 4 candles + shamash | |
| 5 | Tuesday, December 8 | 5 candles + shamash | |
| 6 | Wednesday, December 9 | 6 candles + shamash | |
| 7 | Thursday, December 10 | 7 candles + shamash | |
| 8 | Friday, December 11 | 8 candles + shamash | Shabbat: light before sundown and before the Shabbat candles, with candles large enough to last. |
Hanukkah ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12, 2026. Exact sundown and nightfall times depend on where you live, so check a local calendar such as Hebcal for your city.
The Story of Hanukkah
In the second century BCE, the Land of Israel was ruled by the Seleucid Greek empire. Its king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, pressed Greek culture on his Jewish subjects, and by 167 BCE he had outlawed Jewish practice and defiled the Temple in Jerusalem.
A band of Jewish fighters known as the Maccabees, led by Judah Maccabee, rose up against the empire. After about three years of fighting they retook Jerusalem, purified the Temple, and rededicated it on the twenty-fifth of Kislev, around 164 BCE. That is where the name comes from: Hanukkah means dedication in Hebrew. The Books of Maccabees, which are not part of the Hebrew Bible, describe an eight-day celebration held in the manner of Sukkot, the festival the fighters had been unable to keep during the war.
The miracle of the oil comes from the Talmud (Shabbat 21b), written down centuries later. It tells that when the Hasmoneans entered the Temple they found only one cruse of pure oil still sealed by the High Priest, enough to light the menorah for a single day, and it burned for eight. The following year the sages made those eight days a festival of praise and thanksgiving. That is the light Jewish families still kindle, one candle more each night.
Why It Matters
Hanukkah celebrates light over darkness, the few over the many, and the freedom to live openly as Jews. Its central commandment is not a private one: the lights go in a doorway or a window so the street can see them. That makes Hanukkah a holiday about visibility, and in America it has become exactly that, a proud and public celebration of Jewish identity in the December season. It is not the Jewish Christmas (here is how the two really differ), but its message of standing tall and lighting up the dark speaks to Jewish-American life as strongly as any day on the calendar.
How It Is Observed
The central mitzvah is lighting the Hanukkiah (nine-branched menorah), one candle the first night, adding one each subsequent night, using the shamash (helper candle) to light the others. The hanukkiah is placed in a doorway or a window to publicize the miracle. Traditional songs including Ma'oz Tzur and Hanerot Halalu are sung. Games with the dreidel (spinning top with Hebrew letters) are played, with the letters standing for 'A great miracle happened there.' Gifts are exchanged, especially in American Jewish communities. Fried foods are central to the celebration. For a family-friendly plan from the first candle to the last, see how to celebrate Hanukkah.
Hanukkah Traditions
What to Say
Chag Urim Sameach, Happy Festival of Lights
"Chag Sameach" or "Happy Hanukkah" both work warmly. In Hebrew, "Chag urim sameach" means "happy festival of lights."
“This was the dedication of the altar after it was anointed, when the leaders of Israel offered from each leader, one silver platter, one silver bowl, one gold pan.”Numbers 7:84
Common Questions
When is Hanukkah 2026?
Hanukkah 2026 begins on the evening of Friday, December 4, when the first candle is lit, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12. The eight candle-lighting nights fall on December 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11.
Is Hanukkah a major Jewish holiday?
No. In religious terms Hanukkah is a minor festival. It is not in the Hebrew Bible, it was established by the rabbis, and work is permitted throughout. It became prominent in America partly because it falls near Christmas, and it grew into a beloved celebration of Jewish identity and the main Jewish gift-giving season.
Why is Hanukkah celebrated?
It marks the Maccabees' rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after their revolt against the Seleucid Greek empire, around 164 BCE, and the miracle of the oil told in the Talmud.
Why is Hanukkah eight nights?
According to the Talmud (Shabbat 21b), the Maccabees found only enough pure oil to light the Temple menorah for one day, and it burned for eight. The Books of Maccabees give an earlier explanation: the rededication was celebrated for eight days in the manner of Sukkot, which the fighters had missed during the war.
How do you light a Hanukkah menorah?
Place the candles from right to left, adding one each night, and light them from left to right, newest candle first, using the shamash. Say two blessings every night and a third, Shehecheyanu, on the first night only. On Friday, light before the Shabbat candles, and on Saturday, wait until Shabbat ends.
What do you eat on Hanukkah?
Foods fried in oil, to recall the miracle of the oil. Latkes (potato pancakes) are the classic in Ashkenazi homes, and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) are the favorite in Israel. Chocolate gelt is the sweet extra.
Hanukkah or Chanukah: which spelling is correct?
Both are correct. The name is transliterated from Hebrew, and its first letter, chet, is a throaty sound with no English equivalent, so it is spelled several ways. Hanukkah is the most common spelling in American English, and Chanukah is widely used too, including by Chabad.
Is Hanukkah the 'Jewish Christmas'?
No. It is a minor festival that happens to fall near Christmas; its themes are religious freedom and light, not the December holiday season.
First candle Friday evening, Dec 4, through nightfall Saturday, Dec 12, 2026 (eight nights)
Add one candle each evening. On both Fridays, Dec 4 and Dec 11, light before sundown and before the Shabbat candles. On Saturday, Dec 5, light after Shabbat ends.
Traditional Foods
- Latkes (potato pancakes)
- Sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts)
- Gelt (chocolate coins)
- Brisket
- Sour cream
- Applesauce
Chag Urim Sameach, Happy Festival of Lights