When is Hanukkah 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027...2030 (2024)

FAQs

When is Hanukkah 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027...2030? ›

In 2024, Hanukkah begins on the evening of December 25, with the last night falling on January 2. However, the answer for “When does Hanukkah start?” changes every year. Because of the varying lengths of the lunisolar calendar, Hanukkah sometimes falls around the American holiday of Thanksgiving.

In 2024, Hanukkah begins on the evening of December 25, with the last night falling on January 2. However, the answer for “When does Hanukkah start?” changes every year. Because of the varying lengths of the lunisolar calendar, Hanukkah sometimes falls around the American holiday of Thanksgiving.

A year without Hanukkah? It's a mathematical certainty in the year 3031. A year without Hanukkah may sound like the plot to a less-than-stellar Hallmark Channel movie but it's also a mathematical certainty that's just 1,000 years away.

In fact, Hanukkah moves around. The Jewish calendar relies on lunar months of either 29 or 30 days. But the rest of the world goes on the Gregorian calendar. As a result, Hannukah's start date can fall anywhere between November 27 and December 26 in any given year.

Since 1900, the first night of Hanukkah has fallen on Christmas Eve three times (with 2016 being the fourth). Hanukkah has started on Christmas Day four times in the same period. With eight total occurrences in 117 years, Hanukkah starts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day roughly once every 15 years.

For example, the first day of Rosh Hashanah can be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Shabbat—never Sunday, Wednesday or Friday. However since the month preceding Chanukah (Cheshvan) can have 29 or 30 days, Chanukah can actually begin on any day of the week besides Tuesday.

Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days every year. Normally it occurs between late November and December, although the exact dates change every year. This is because Hanukkah is always on the 25th day of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar. 25 Kislev is a date from the Hebrew calendar.

Thanksgiving Day fell during Hanukkah at least twice between 1863 (when Thanksgiving was proclaimed a U.S. federal holiday by President Abraham Lincoln) and 2013: in 1888 Thanksgiving was the first day of Hanukkah, and in 1899 it was the fourth day.

Hanukkah is a celebration of light that commemorates the rededication of the Temple in 165 BC by the Maccabees after it was desecrated by Syrians – making it a much older celebration than modern Christmas.

However, the lunar-based Hebrew months do not perfectly coincide with the Gregorian calendar. Hanukkah usually begins in late November or December. However, in the year 3031, there will be no Hanukkah … and in the year 3032, there will be two: one in January and one in December.

What is forbidden during Hanukkah? ›

It is customary for women not to work for at least the first half-hour of the candles' burning, and some have the custom not to work for the entire time of burning. It is also forbidden to fast or to eulogize during Hanukkah.

The Hanukkah story is not recorded in the canon of Scripture (what we call the Bible). At its core, it is a celebration of casting Greek influences out of Jewish life and returning to God's instructions for life and worship. In a word, it is re-dedication.

Throughout the festival, Jewish people often greet each other in Hebrew and say, "chag sameach" to each other which translates, approximately, to "happy holidays" in English. The festival and festivities is most similar to how Christians, or more so westerners, observe and celebrate Christmas.

Celebrate both holidays but separately

In doing this, you celebrate each holiday but keep their traditions separate from one another at different times. You could put up both Hanukkah and Christmas decorations, light the menorah and the Christmas tree, and exchange gifts for both holidays.

Exact coincidence of Hanukkah with Christmas

In 2005, the sunset of December 25 coincided with 25 Kislev, the first night of Hanukkah, making Christmas Day and the beginning of Hanukkah the same day. This will not happen again until 2024.

Don't Gift on Christmas Day – Honor the Jewish calendar and only give your gifts during the eight-day window of Chanukah. Figuring out what is a traditional Hanukkah gift, and which day to gift it can be difficult for those new to the holiday.

Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.

Since the Jewish and Gregorian calendars are based upon different cycles, set dates on one calendar correlate to different dates on the other calendar each year. Although Hanukkah always begins on the 25^th day of Kislev, that date can fall anywhere between late November and late December on the Gregorian calendar.

Hanukkah is a celebration of light that commemorates the rededication of the Temple in 165 BC by the Maccabees after it was desecrated by Syrians – making it a much older celebration than modern Christmas.

For centuries, Hanukkah remained less religiously and culturally significant than almost any other of the Jewish holidays. That all changed in the 20th century. In America, Hanukkah has become a big deal in no small part because of Christmas.