Festival
Hanukkah
חנוכה
Eight days of light marking the rededication of the Temple. One more candle each evening, and everything fried in oil.
Until it begins
In 80 days
- Begins on the evening of
- Ends
- Length
- 8 days
- Festival
- In the Hebrew calendar
- 25 Kislev
- 5787
About the holiday
In the second century BCE a small Judean revolt took the Temple back from the Seleucid empire and rededicated it; the word hanukkah means dedication. A later story about one day’s oil burning for eight explains why the lamp gains a flame every evening until all eight are lit. In law it is a minor festival and in practice a major one: candles in the window, everything fried in oil, and a spinning top with four letters on it.
Dates for the coming years
The exact candle-lighting time depends on sunset where you are. Check with your local community.