Hanukkah 2026

What this countdown tracks

Hanukkah 2026 – the eight-day Jewish festival of lights commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 165 BCE – begins at sundown on Friday December 4, 2026 and ends at nightfall on Saturday December 12, 2026. Observed by Jewish communities worldwide, with major public menorah lightings in Israel, the United States, and Europe.

About Hanukkah

Hanukkah ("dedication" in Hebrew) commemorates the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Greek empire and the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 165 BCE. The story is told in the books of Maccabees: the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes had outlawed Jewish practice and desecrated the Temple by erecting an altar to Zeus and sacrificing pigs in the sanctuary. A small band of Jewish rebels led by the priest Mattathias and his son Judah Maccabee fought a guerrilla war that lasted three years, eventually retook Jerusalem, and rededicated the Temple to its proper service.

The Talmud (Shabbat 21b) adds the miracle of the oil: when the Maccabees came to relight the menorah in the rededicated Temple, they could find only one cruse of pure olive oil – enough for a single day. They lit it anyway, and the oil burned for eight days, the time required to prepare new ritually pure oil. Hanukkah commemorates that miracle by lighting the hanukkiah (the eight-branched Hanukkah menorah) with one additional candle each night for eight nights.

Hanukkah is traditionally a minor festival in the Jewish calendar – work is permitted, and there are no full-day liturgical services like those of the High Holy Days. Its importance grew in the modern era, particularly in 19th and 20th-century America, where its proximity to Christmas and its themes of religious freedom made it a culturally prominent Jewish observance and a touchstone of Jewish-American identity.

How it's observed

The defining ritual of Hanukkah is the nightly lighting of the hanukkiah – an eight-branched menorah with a ninth "shamash" (helper) candle. On the first night, the shamash and one candle are lit, accompanied by two blessings (Lehadlik Ner shel Hanukkah – on lighting the candle of Hanukkah – and She'asah Nissim La'avoteinu – who performed miracles for our ancestors); a third blessing, Shehechianu, is added on the first night only. Each subsequent night, an additional candle is added until all eight are lit on the final night. The hanukkiah is traditionally placed in a window or near a door, so that its light publicly proclaims the miracle (pirsumei nisah).

Foods fried in oil are central – a remembrance of the miracle of the oil. In Ashkenazi tradition, the signature dish is latkes (potato pancakes), served with sour cream or applesauce; sufganiyot (jelly-filled doughnuts) are traditional in Israel and increasingly in the diaspora. Sephardic households serve bunuelos (sweet fritters) and keftes de prasa (leek fritters). Children play dreidel – a four-sided spinning top with the Hebrew letters Nun, Gimel, Hey, Shin, standing for "Nes Gadol Hayah Sham" (a great miracle happened there) – playing for chocolate Hanukkah gelt (coins). Modern American Hanukkah has incorporated nightly gift-giving, mirroring Christmas in a parallel rather than competing tradition.

Major public menorah lightings have become annual fixtures: the National Menorah on the Ellipse in Washington, DC (lit by the President since 1979); a menorah at the White House; a 32-foot menorah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem; menorahs in Trafalgar Square (London), in front of the Brandenburg Gate (Berlin), and in major squares in New York, Paris, Buenos Aires, and Sydney. The international Chabad-Lubavitch movement now coordinates over 15,000 public menorah lightings worldwide each Hanukkah.

Why this date specifically

Hanukkah falls on 25 Kislev in the Hebrew calendar and runs eight days. In 2026, 25 Kislev 5787 falls on December 5 in the Gregorian calendar, with the festival beginning at sundown on December 4 (the Hebrew day runs from sundown to sundown) and the eighth and final candle lit on the evening of December 11, with the festival ending at nightfall on December 12. Because the Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, Hanukkah moves within a roughly 30-day Gregorian window, falling between late November and late December. In 2026 it is in early December – earlier than Christmas, which is unusual; in 2027 the two will overlap.

What to watch for / notable observances in 2026

• December 4, sundown – first candle lit at home and at major public menorahs
• December 4–11 – nightly menorah lighting, latkes and sufganiyot meals
• National Menorah lighting on the Ellipse in Washington, DC
• Chabad menorah lightings at Trafalgar Square (London), Brandenburg Gate (Berlin), Times Square (NYC)
• 32-foot menorah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem; nightly Hallel prayer at Jewish communities worldwide
• Public school accommodations and Jewish day-school holidays in major Western cities
• Israeli children begin Hanukkah school break around December 7

Related festivals to track

Hanukkah 2026 closes the Jewish autumn calendar that opened with Rosh Hashanah 2026 (September 11) and Yom Kippur 2026 (October 1). Passover 2027 is the next major festival in spring. The family overview is at the Jewish festival hub. For comparable festivals of light across traditions, see Diwali 2026 and Christmas 2026.

FAQ

When is Hanukkah in 2026? Begins at sundown on Friday December 4, 2026 and ends at nightfall on Saturday December 12, 2026 (eight nights).

How is Hanukkah observed? Through nightly lighting of the hanukkiah with one additional candle each night, foods fried in oil (latkes, sufganiyot), playing dreidel, and (in modern American practice) nightly gift-giving.

Is Hanukkah a public holiday? No – Hanukkah is a minor festival in halakhic terms, with no work prohibition; it is widely observed but not a civil holiday anywhere.

What is the typical greeting? "Happy Hanukkah" or "Chag Hanukkah Sameach" (happy Hanukkah holiday); "Chag Urim Sameach" (happy festival of lights).