Hanukkah 2026

When Is Hanukkah in 2026?

In 2026, Hanukkah falls on December 4. The observance lasts 8 days. Because Hanukkah follows a 25 Kislev – 2 Tevet (8 days), Hebrew lunisolar calendar; begins at sundown, the exact Gregorian date shifts each year. Begins at sundown on 24 Kislev. The Hebrew leap-year cycle (7 leap years in 19) shifts Hanukkah's Gregorian date by ~1 month in leap years, so it can fall anywhere from late November to late December. The first night is the most searched; the 8 nights are counted from sundown to sundown. Since Hanukkah's date changes from year to year, here are the dates for the next five years so you can plan ahead: Year Date 2026 December 4 2027 December 24 2028 December 12 2029 December 1 2030 December 20

What Time Does Hanukkah Start in Your Time Zone?

Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar and lasts for eight nights. In 2026, Hanukkah begins at sunset on Sunday, December 6 and ends at nightfall on Monday, December 14. As with all Jewish holidays, each day of Hanukkah begins at sunset — so the first candle is lit on the evening of December 6, the second on the evening of December 7, and so on. Hanukkah's proximity to Christmas on the Gregorian calendar varies year to year because the Hebrew calendar is lunisolar. In some years (like 2024), Hanukkah begins on Christmas Day itself; in others, it falls earlier in December or even in late November. In 2026, Hanukkah begins more than two weeks before Christmas, so the festivals don't overlap. The earliest Hanukkah can fall is late November; the latest is late December. The table below shows the observance date for Hanukkah in major time zones around the world: Location Observance Date Time Zone New York, USA December 4 EST/EDT (UTC-5/-4) London, UK December 4 GMT/BST (UTC+0/+1) New Delhi, India December 4 IST (UTC+5:30) Sydney, Australia December 4 AEST/AEDT (UTC+10/+11) Dubai, UAE December 4 GST (UTC+4)

The Story Behind Hanukkah

Hanukkah — the Jewish Festival of Lights — commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 165 BCE, after a small band of Jewish rebels led by Judah Maccabee defeated the much larger army of the Seleucid Greek king Antiochus IV. Antiochus had outlawed Jewish practice and defiled the Temple by sacrificing pigs on the altar and erecting a statue of Zeus. The Maccabean revolt, lasting three years, succeeded in recapturing Jerusalem and cleansing the Temple. The Talmud tells the famous story of the miracle that gives Hanukkah its character. When the Maccabees sought to relight the Temple's menorah — the seven-branched candelabrum that was supposed to burn perpetually — they found only a single cruse of ritually pure olive oil, enough to last one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, until new pure oil could be prepared. This is why Hanukkah lasts eight days and why it is celebrated with lights. The name "Hanukkah" means "dedication" — a reference to the rededication of the Temple. The holiday is technically a minor one in the Jewish calendar (unlike Passover, Yom Kippur, or Rosh Hashanah, it is not biblically commanded), but its proximity to Christmas on the Gregorian calendar has made it culturally prominent, especially in North America. The custom of giving gifts, originally a small token of coins (Hanukkah gelt) given to children, expanded in the 20th century to a gift each night — partly in response to the dominance of Christmas in American culture.

How Hanukkah Is Celebrated

The central ritual of Hanukkah is the lighting of the hanukkiah — a nine-branched candelabrum often called a menorah (though technically a menorah has seven branches). Eight of the branches hold candles for each night of the festival; the ninth, called the shamash ("helper"), is used to light the others. On the first night, one candle is lit; on the second, two; and so on until the eighth night, when all eight candles plus the shamash burn together. The candles are placed in the hanukkiah from right to left but lit from left to right, so that the newest candle is always lit first. The hanukkiah is traditionally placed in a window or doorway facing the street, to publicize the miracle — a practice called pirsumei nisa. In recent decades, public menorah lightings have become common, with large hanukkiot erected in town squares, shopping malls, and public parks. The Chabad-Lubavitch movement has organized public lightings in cities around the world, including a giant menorah at the White House and at the Eiffel Tower. After lighting the candles, families sing Maoz Tzur ("Rock of Ages") and other Hanukkah songs. Food is an important part of Hanukkah, and the dominant theme is fried food — recalling the miracle of the oil. Latkes (potato pancakes) are the iconic Ashkenazi Hanukkah food, served with applesauce and sour cream. Sufganiyot — round, jelly-filled doughnuts — are the Israeli equivalent, and Israeli bakeries sell them in dozens of flavors throughout the festival. Sephardic communities have their own fried specialties, including bimuelos (honey-dipped fritters) and loukoumades. Children play dreidel — a spinning top game with four Hebrew letters (Nun, Gimel, Hey, Shin) standing for "Nes Gadol Haya Sham" — "a great miracle happened there." In Israel, the dreidel letters spell "Nes Gadol Haya Po" — "a great miracle happened here." Why Does Hanukkah Move Every Year? Hanukkah is fixed in the Hebrew calendar on the 25th of Kislev — the same calendar date on which the Maccabees rededicated the Temple in 165 BCE. The Hebrew calendar's lunisolar system, with leap months added seven times in 19 years, keeps Hanukkah anchored in late November or December on the Gregorian calendar. Unlike Passover and Sukkot, which are biblically commanded pilgrimage festivals, Hanukkah is a rabbinic institution — established by the rabbis after the Maccabean revolt. This is why Hanukkah has fewer restrictions than the major festivals: work is permitted, the liturgy is only mildly modified, and the rituals center on the home rather than the synagogue. The fixed date in Kislev means that Hanukkah's Gregorian date is predictable within a roughly four-week window each year, and the future-dates table can be confidently listed for years in advance.

Calendar Calculation

25 Kislev – 2 Tevet (8 days), Hebrew lunisolar calendar; begins at sundown

Traveling for Hanukkah? Where to Go

Hanukkah is not a pilgrimage festival in the traditional sense, but it has become a major travel and tourism period, especially in Israel. The eight-day festival falls during the winter school break, and Israeli families take advantage of the time off for domestic travel — to the Galilee, the Dead Sea, or Eilat. In the diaspora, Hanukkah is more often a home-and-community holiday, with families gathering for nightly candle-lighting and parties. The festival's overlap with the Christmas-New Year travel season means that flights and accommodations in popular destinations can be heavily booked. Top destinations for this holiday: Jerusalem: — A popular destination with significant celebrations and cultural events. New York City: — A popular destination with significant celebrations and cultural events. Tel Aviv: — A popular destination with significant celebrations and cultural events. London: — A popular destination with significant celebrations and cultural events. Budapest: — A popular destination with significant celebrations and cultural events. If you're planning to travel for hanukkah, compare hotel rates and book early — accommodations in Jerusalem fill up weeks before the festival. [Search hotels for Hanukkah travel →]

Did You Know? Hanukkah Facts & Trivia

The menorah used on Hanukkah — properly called a hanukkiah — has nine branches, not seven. Eight branches hold the candles for each night of the festival; the ninth, called the shamash ("helper"), is used to light the others. The distinction between a hanukkiah and a regular seven-branched menorah is important in Jewish tradition. Hanukkah's proximity to Christmas on the Gregorian calendar varies year to year. In some years (like 2024), Hanukkah begins on Christmas Day itself; in others, it falls in late November or early December. In 2026, Hanukkah begins on December 6 — more than two weeks before Christmas. The tradition of giving Hanukkah gelt (Yiddish for "money") originally involved small coins given to children. In the 1920s, American candy companies began producing chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil, which have become the dominant form of gelt given today. The dreidel — a four-sided spinning top — has Hebrew letters on each side that stand for "Nes Gadol Haya Sham" ("A great miracle happened there"). In Israel, the letters spell "Nes Gadol Haya Po" ("A great miracle happened here"), reflecting the Israeli emphasis on the holiday's connection to the land.