Hanukkah Countdown 2026

Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown, when the first candle of the menorah is lit. This countdown runs to early evening in your own time zone, the hour families gather around the window to light it.

Why the date moves. Hanukkah starts on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, a lunar calendar adjusted to the seasons. On the Gregorian calendar that falls anywhere from late November to late December, and it lasts eight nights.

The story behind it. In the 2nd century BCE, the Maccabees retook the Temple in Jerusalem from the Seleucid Empire and rededicated it — Hanukkah means "dedication". According to the Talmud, they found only enough pure oil to keep the Temple lamp burning for one day, yet it burned for eight.

Lighting the menorah. The Hanukkah menorah, or hanukkiah, holds nine candles: one for each night, plus the shamash, the helper candle used to light the others. One more candle is added every evening, placed in a window so the light can be seen from outside. On Friday, the candles are lit before the Shabbat candles, before sundown.

Latkes, sufganiyot and dreidel. Foods fried in oil recall the miracle: potato latkes and jam-filled doughnuts, sufganiyot. Children spin the dreidel for chocolate coins, gelt, and many families exchange a small gift each night.

Put the countdown on full screen for the family, or create your own for a Hanukkah party, with a secret message that only opens on the first night.