When Hanukkah Occurs

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights or Festival of Rededication, is an eight-day Jewish holiday that starts on the 25th day of Kislev, which may be in December, late November, or, while very rare in occasion, early January (as was the case for the Hanukkah of 2005–2006). The festival is observed in Jewish homes by the kindling of lights on each of the festival's eight nights, one on the first night, two on the second, and so on.

The dates of Hanukkah are determined by the Hebrew Calendar. Hanukkah begins at the 25th day of Kislev and concluding on the 2nd or 3rd day of Tevet (Kislev can have 29 or 30 days). The Jewish day begins at sunset, whereas the Gregorian Calendar begins the day at midnight. So, the first day of Hanukkah actually begins at sunset of the day immediately before the date noted on Gregorian calendars.

For example, in 2006 Gregorian calendars will likely list Hanukkah on Saturday, December 16, but 25 Kislev actually begins at sunset on December 15 and so the first candle will be lit on that Friday evening, shortly before sunset since it is also the start of Shabbat. Two candles will be lit on Saturday night after dark and the end of Shabbat. Three candles will be lit after dark on Sunday, and so on for the rest of the week, except for the following Friday, December 22, when the last 8 candles are lit, again shortly before sunset. The holiday will end after sundown on December 23.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia