Next: 5 to 12 Dec 2026
Hanukkah
The festival of lights: a candle is added each night on the menorah, with fried foods, spinning dreidels and gifts.
When is Hanukkah in 2026?
Hanukkah 2026 runs from 5 to 12 December 2026. Other years: 2027, 25 December 2027 to 1 January 2028.
About Hanukkah
Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev and lasts eight nights. It recalls the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean revolt in the second century BCE, and the story that a small flask of oil burned for eight days. On each night a new candle is lit on the hanukkiah, a nine-branched candelabrum, until the eighth night, and the candles are placed in a window to share the light. Families recite blessings and sing hymns such as Ma'oz Tzur. Foods fried in oil are eaten: latkes, potato pancakes, in many Ashkenazi homes, and sufganiyot, jelly doughnuts, in Israel. Children play with the dreidel, a spinning top, and receive gelt, small coins or chocolate coins, or other gifts.
Hanukkah dates: 2026, 2027
| Year | Hanukkah date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 to 12 December 2026 |
| 2027 | 25 December 2027 to 1 January 2028 |
What is eaten
- latkes
- sufganiyot
- gelt
- brisket
Traditions of Hanukkah
Also part of it, and being written: Menorah (The candelabrum lit each night.), Sufganiyah (The doughnut of the festival.), Maccabees (The family of the revolt.).
More marked on Hanukkah
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Hanukkah" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Dreidel: Adiel lo, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hanukkah menorah: Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme, CC BY-SA 4.0, source