Hanukkah Begins

At sundown on Friday, December 4, 2026, the first Hanukkah candle is lit, opening the eight-day Festival of Lights. Families gather around the hanukkiah each night through December 12, adding one candle at a time and remembering a story of dedication and light.

DEC4

Friday, December 4Every year on December 4

days to go

Roots: Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean revolt of the 2nd century BCE, and the Hebrew word Hanukkah means dedication.
Also on Dec 4: Back Friday · Dice Day · Sock Day
Hashtag: #HanukkahBegins

Add to my calendar Send a card Email a friend

Apple or Outlook calendar

3 ways to celebrate

AT HOME

Light the Hanukkiah

If you celebrate, light one candle on the first night and add one more each night, until all eight candles glow on the final night.

IN THE KITCHEN

Fry Latkes and Sufganiyot

Crisp potato latkes and jelly-filled sufganiyot are fried in oil in honor of the miracle of the oil at the heart of the holiday.

WITH FAMILY

Spin the Dreidel

Play the traditional four-sided spinning top game with family and friends, and share chocolate coins, known as gelt, with the children.

Plan ahead

Hanukkah Begins is observed on December 4 every year. Here is where it lands for the next ten years, handy for planners, marketers and party people.

2026Fri, Dec 4this year

2027Sat, Dec 4

2028Mon, Dec 4

2029Tue, Dec 4

2030Wed, Dec 4

2031Thu, Dec 4

2032Sat, Dec 4

2033Sun, Dec 4

2034Mon, Dec 4

2035Tue, Dec 4

2036Thu, Dec 4

Add to my calendar (repeats yearly)

Fast facts

Tradition tells that the Maccabees found only enough consecrated oil to light the Temple menorah for one night, yet it burned for eight days, until new oil arrived.

Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, and a ninth helper candle, the shamash, is used to light the others.

The story

Hanukkah, also called the Festival of Lights, commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE. The Temple was rededicated around 165 BCE, and the Hebrew word Hanukkah means dedication. The festival begins on the 25th day of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar.

Read the full story

Tradition tells of the miracle of the oil. When the Maccabees began preparing the Temple for its rededication, they found only enough consecrated oil to light the Temple menorah for one night. It burned for eight days, until new consecrated oil arrived, and candles are lit each night of Hanukkah to commemorate that miracle.

Each evening, candles are lit on a nine-branched menorah called a hanukkiah, one candle the first night and one more each night, until all eight burn on the final night. A ninth helper candle, the shamash, lights the others. Foods fried in oil honor the miracle, especially latkes, or potato pancakes, and sufganiyot, jelly doughnuts.

Children play with a dreidel, a four-sided spinning top, and receive gifts or chocolate coins known as gelt. In 2026 the first candle is lit at sundown on Friday, December 4, the first full day is December 5, and the festival ends at nightfall on December 12, eight nights and days of light, food, and gathering.