▷ What Night Is It Of Hanukkah?

Hanukkah is the eight-day Jewish holiday that celebrates Jewish defiance against the oppression of the Syrian-Greeks in the second century BCE. Every night of the eight-day period, a candle is lit in remembrance of the struggle that was endured and the hard-fought victory that ultimately allowed for religious freedom. But, what night is it of Hanukkah?

Calculating the night of Hanukkah can be a little tricky. That is because the Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar that follows the cycle of the moon. This means that the days of the Jewish calendar do not line up perfectly with the Gregorian calendar that is typically used around the world. As such, the date of Hanukkah falls somewhere between late November and early January each year depending on the cycle of the moon, and it is even sometimes pushed off as late as February.

Table of Contents

1 What’s the Date of Hanukkah?
- 1.1 What Night Is It On the Gregorian Calendar?
2 How Is Hanukkah Celebrated?
3 Counting the Nights of Hanukkah
- 3.1 Night-Specific Blessings

What’s the Date of Hanukkah?

The major holiday of Hanukkah occurs each year on the 25th day (Kislev) of the Hebrew month. Because of the nature of the lunar calendar, the exact date of the holiday varies between late November and early January depending on the cycle of the moon.

What Night Is It On the Gregorian Calendar?

When Hanukkah falls on a Gregorian calendar, it generally starts on the same day as Thanksgiving in the United States or the third week of December. The end of Hanukkah (usually the 8th night) can vary from December to January.

How Is Hanukkah Celebrated?

Hanukkah is typically celebrated by the public lighting of the Menorah, a nine-branch candelabrum. On each night of Hanukkah, an additional candle is lit. The candles are lit from a single shamash (“servant”) candle — usually placed higher or on the side of the Menorah. As such, by the time the eight-day holiday is over, all of the Menorah’s candles will be lit.

In addition to the lighting of the Menorah, other Hanukah activities include gift giving, playing the game of dreidel and eating traditional Hanukkah treats like potato latkes and sufganiyot (doughnuts fried in oil).

Counting the Nights of Hanukkah

Hanukkah is typically celebrated for eight nights. But how do you know when one night is over and the next begins? Generally speaking, a night of Hanukkah is marked by the lighting of the Menorah. In the eyes of Jewish law, a new day begins at nightfall — and so this is when the Menorah is lit for the first time.

Night-Specific Blessings

There are blessings that must be said each night of Hanukkah. But the blessings for the first night of Hanukkah differ from those said for the second and third, etc.

The blessings for the first night are:

Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukkah.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who performed miracles for our fathers in those days, at this time.

For the following nights, the first blessing is repeated and the second blessing changes to the following:

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who performed miracles for our fathers in the days of old, at this time.

In order to understand which night of Hanukkah is being celebrated, one must look to the Jewish calendar. However, knowing that Hanukkah generally starts around the same time each year and that there are different specific blessings for each night can help to properly identify the night that is being celebrated. Regardless of the night, though, Hanukkah is a time of celebration for Jewish people and a time to honor the hard-fought victory of their ancestors and the importance of religious freedom that they were ultimately granted.

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Last update 2023-11-27. Price and product availability may change.