What you need to know about Hanukkah and how it is celebrated around the world

Hanukkah – also spelled Chanukah or other transliterations from Hebrew – is Judaism’s “festival of lights”. On eight consecutive evenings, Jews gather with family and friends to light an additional candle in the menorah – a multi-branched candelabra.

In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “consecration” and the holiday marks the rededication of Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC, after a small group of Jewish warriors freed it from occupation by foreign forces.

With the small amount of ritually pure oil they found in the temple, they lit the menorah – and it stayed lit for eight days. The ritual of lighting a night candle as well as the emphasis on cooking food in oil, such as potato pancakes called latkes, commemorate this miraculously long-lasting oil.

When is Hanukkah 2024?

The dates of the holidays are based on the Hebrew month of Kislev, which usually coincides with November-December in the Gregorian calendar.

This year, Hanukkah will be celebrated from December 25, 2024 to January 2, 2025. This is only the fifth time since 1900 that Hanukkah falls on Christmas Day.

Why is Hanukkah so late this year?

The simple answer is that the Jewish calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, and is not in sync with the Gregorian calendar, which puts Christmas on December 25. Hanukkah always begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, a date that occurs between at end of November and end of December on the Gregorian calendar.

Does observance of Hanukkah vary?

Jews across the spectrum of religious observance — from Reform to Conservative to Orthodox — focus on the same theme of bringing light into the darkness and emphasizing that even a small effort against the odds can have a transformative effect.

For this reason, although the Talmud reflects a disagreement about the order of illumination, most people start with one candle and increase the illumination by one more candle each night while reciting or chanting special blessings.

The lights are added from right to left, but lit from left to right on the menorah, thus always starting with the newest light. The special menorah used for Hanukkah has eight branches, with a ninth place for the candle called the shamash, from which all others are lit.

Tradition calls for candles with a real flame, although some also use electric ones in public displays, such as in hospitals, for safety reasons.

How is Hanukkah celebrated?

A menorah is lit in every household and is traditionally placed where it can be seen from the outside, such as a doorway or windowsill, to symbolize the spreading of God’s light to all nations.

The lighting of menorahs in the city streets and parks have become more prominent in recent years in countries around the world, including in front of public landmarks.

In addition to menorah lighting, gifts to charity and social works are also part of the celebration for many, reflecting the belief that the Jewish people are called by God to help make the world better for all.

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