It’s a classic December conversation. You’re looking at a calendar, trying to plan a winter party or a family dinner, and someone inevitably asks: "Wait, when does Hanukkah start this year?" Because, let’s be real, it is never in the same place twice. One year you’re frying latkes before the Thanksgiving leftovers are even gone, and the next, you’re lighting the eighth candle while the New Year’s Eve ball is about to drop.
It feels random. It isn't.
If you’re checking the 2025 calendar, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Sunday, December 14, 2025. It runs through the evening of Monday, December 22. But if you’re looking ahead to 2026, the whole thing shifts dramatically, kicking off at sundown on Friday, December 4, 2026.
That’s a ten-day jump. Why? Because the Jewish calendar doesn't care about the sun—at least, not exclusively.
The Lunar Math Behind When Hanukkah Starts
Most of the world runs on the Gregorian calendar. It’s solar. It tracks the 365 days it takes the Earth to lap the sun. But the Hebrew calendar is "lunisolar." It follows the moon’s cycles, which are about 29.5 days long.
Twelve lunar months only add up to about 354 days.
Do the math. That’s an 11-day gap every single year. If the Jewish calendar didn't have a built-in "fix," Hanukkah would eventually drift into July. Imagine eating hot brisket and fried donuts in 90-degree heat. Nobody wants that. To prevent this "seasonal drift," the Hebrew calendar uses a leap year system, but instead of adding a day in February, it adds an entire extra month—Adar II—seven times every 19 years.
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Basically, Hanukkah is always on the 25th day of the month of Kislev. Kislev just happens to wander around our standard December calendar like a tourist without a map.
Sundown is the Secret
In the Jewish tradition, a day doesn't start at midnight. It starts when the sun goes down. This is why people get confused about the dates on digital calendars. If a calendar says Hanukkah is December 14, the "first day" is technically the 15th, but the holiday—and the first candle—starts the night before.
You light the menorah when the stars come out.
The Story Most People Get Slightly Wrong
We’re told it’s a "Festival of Lights." And it is. But the origin story is actually a pretty gritty tale of civil war and religious resistance. Back in the second century BCE, the Seleucid Empire (Syrian-Greeks) tried to outlaw Judaism. They set up an altar to Zeus in the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
A guy named Mattathias and his five sons, known as the Maccabees, weren't having it.
They waged a guerrilla war. They were outnumbered. They were out-gunned—or out-sworded, I guess. But they won. When they went to rededicate the Temple, they found only enough ritual oil to last one day. Miraculously, that tiny jar kept the eternal flame burning for eight days.
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That’s the "miracle of the oil."
But historians like those at the Biblical Archaeology Society often point out a different theory. Some believe the first Hanukkah was actually a delayed celebration of Sukkot. Sukkot is a week-long harvest festival that the Maccabees missed while they were busy fighting in the mountains. Once they took the Temple back, they held a late version of it, which explains the eight-day duration.
Food, Oil, and Why Your House Will Smell Like a Diner
Since the miracle involves oil, the tradition is to eat food fried in oil. It’s a great excuse to ignore your diet for a week.
- Latkes: These are potato pancakes. In Eastern Europe, potatoes were cheap and plentiful in winter. In Israel, you’ll find them, but they aren't the undisputed king.
- Sufganiyot: These are deep-fried jelly donuts covered in powdered sugar. In Israel, bakeries start pumping these out weeks before Hanukkah starts. We’re talking millions of donuts.
- Gelt: Chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil. Kids win them playing dreidel.
Honestly, the dreidel game is probably the only form of gambling encouraged in a religious setting. The letters on the spinning top—Nun, Gimel, Hay, Shin—stand for Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, meaning "A great miracle happened there." (If you're in Israel, the Shin is replaced with a Pey for "here.")
The "Jewish Christmas" Misconception
Let’s be honest. Hanukkah is a "minor" holiday in the Jewish religious hierarchy. It’s not mentioned in the Torah. It’s nowhere near as spiritually significant as Rosh Hashanah (the New Year) or Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).
However, because it usually falls near Christmas, it has exploded in cultural importance, especially in the United States.
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In the late 1800s, Jewish leaders in Cincinnati started emphasizing the holiday to keep kids engaged and prevent "Christmas envy." It worked. Today, it’s a massive celebration of Jewish identity. It’s about the right to be different. It’s about maintaining light when things look dark.
Logistics: Preparing for the 25th of Kislev
If you are hosting, you need to be ready. Because the date moves, you can’t just assume "oh, I'll buy candles on the 20th."
- Check the actual start time: Remember, it's sundown. In the Northern Hemisphere, December days are short. In New York or Chicago, the sun might set as early as 4:15 PM.
- The Menorah (Hanukkiah): You need nine branches. Eight for the days, and one "Shamash" (helper) candle to light the others.
- Lighting Direction: You place the candles in the menorah from right to left (the way Hebrew is read). But you light them from left to right. You always light the newest candle first.
- The Oil Situation: If you’re making latkes for a crowd, buy more oil than you think you need. And maybe open a window. The smell of fried onions stays in the curtains for a surprisingly long time.
Why Knowing When Hanukkah Starts Matters for 2026 and Beyond
Looking at the 2026 dates, having Hanukkah start on December 4 is unusually early. This affects everything from travel prices to school breaks. If you’re a business owner or a teacher, you have to realize that the "holiday season" begins much earlier for Jewish families that year.
It’s also worth noting the social aspect. Hanukkah is a "public" miracle. Traditionally, you place the menorah in a window facing the street. It’s a literal way of sharing the light with the neighborhood.
Actionable Steps for This Year
- Sync your digital calendar: Most Google or Apple calendars have an "Alternate Calendars" setting. Toggle the Jewish calendar to "on" so you aren't caught off guard by the 11-day shift.
- Stock up early: High-quality Hanukkah candles (the ones that don't drip all over your grandmother's silver) tend to sell out about a week before the first night.
- Potatoes and Onions: If you're making latkes from scratch, squeeze the liquid out of the shredded potatoes using a cheesecloth. It's the only way to get them crispy. If they’re soggy, you’ve failed the Maccabees.
- Gift Planning: Since Hanukkah lasts eight days, many families do one small gift per night rather than one giant haul. If the holiday starts early in December, you need to have your shopping done before the "Black Friday" madness really hits its peak.
Hanukkah is a story of resilience. Whether it starts in November or late December, the goal remains the same: celebrating the fact that even a little bit of light can beat back a whole lot of darkness. Keep an eye on the moon, get your frying pan ready, and make sure you know exactly what time the sun sets on that first Sunday of the festival.