Codex of FaithsAn illustrated atlas of belief

Judaism

Hanukkah

When is Hanukkah in 2026 and 2027, the Jewish festival of lights: the story of the Maccabees and the oil, how the hanukkiah is lit over eight nights, and its foods and games.

Next date

5–12 December 2026

Begins at sunset the evening before.

The first candle is lit at nightfall on 4 December.

In brief

  1. I.Hanukkah, “dedication”, recalls the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE.
  2. II.Tradition tells of a single jar of oil that burned for eight days.
  3. III.Each night one more light is added to the nine-branched hanukkiah.
  4. IV.Foods fried in oil, such as latkes and doughnuts, are eaten, and children play with the dreidel.

Chapter I

What it celebrates

In the 2nd century BCE the Seleucid king Antiochus IV banned Jewish practice and set up a pagan altar in the Temple. A revolt led by the Maccabee family drove out his forces, and in 164 BCE the Temple was cleansed and rededicated.

The Talmud adds that only one jar of pure oil was found for the Temple lamp, enough for one day, yet it burned for eight, until new oil could be made. Hanukkah celebrates both the victory of the few and the miracle of light.

Chapter II

How it is kept

On each of the eight nights, families light the hanukkiah, a lamp with eight branches and a ninth, the shamash, used to light the others: one light the first night, two the second, until all eight burn. The lamp is placed in a window or doorway to “publicise the miracle”. Blessings and songs such as Maoz Tzur are sung.

Fried foods recall the oil: potato latkes and jam doughnuts, sufganiyot. Children spin the dreidel and receive coins or gifts.

Chapter III

Around the world

Giant public hanukkiahs are lit in city squares from New York to Paris and Sydney. In Israel schools close for the week and sufganiyot fill the bakeries.

Questions people ask

Is Hanukkah a major Jewish holiday?

Religiously it is a minor festival: work is allowed. It has become very popular, especially where it falls near Christmas.

What do the letters on the dreidel mean?

Nun, gimel, hei and shin stand for “a great miracle happened there”. In Israel the shin is replaced by pe: “a great miracle happened here”.

Sources and further reading

  1. Toronto Metropolitan University, “2027 Calendar of Religious, Indigenous and Spiritual Observances”
  2. Toronto Metropolitan University, “2026 Calendar of Religious, Indigenous and Spiritual Observances”
  3. Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Hanukkah”
  4. Michael Strassfeld, The Jewish Holidays: A Guide and Commentary (HarperCollins, 1985)

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