Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the re-dedication of the second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Celebrations of the holiday traditionally include the lighting of a nine-branched menorah, playing dreidel games, enjoying traditional foods, and gift giving. Hanukkah is popularly known as the Festival of Lights and is one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays. As the holiday is based on the Hebrew calendar, its exact date changes from year to year, and the length of Hanukkah depends on the day it begins.
The end date of Hanukkah is determined by when it begins. In the Hebrew calendar, Hanukkah begins on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, and in 2020 it will begin at sunset on December 10th and ends at nightfall on December 18th. It is followed by an extra part of Hanukkah known as Sheki Ayin Beis which is the 9th day of Hanukkah, and will fall on the 19th of Kislev which in 2020 will be December 19th.Table of Contents
Understanding the Hebrew Calendar
The Hebrew calendar is a lunisolar calendar, meaning that it is based on the 12.4-month lunar cycle and the 19-year Metonic cycle. These two cycles are used to determine the holidays which will always appear at the same season each year. The Hebrew calendar or Jewish calendar makes use of both solar and lunar events in order to create a perpetual yearly cycle of months and festivals. This calendar also determines each day of the Jewish year, which begins with Rosh Hashanah on the 1st of Tishrei.
How is Hanukkah Calculated?
Hanukkah is calculated in a similar way to all other major holidays in the Hebrew calendar. Each year, the Jewish calendar establishes a length for the holiday cycle, which is used to determine the dates for Hanukkah each year. Hanukkah’s length will always be 8 days and nights, and it will begin in Kislev and end in Tevet, both according to the Hebrew calendar.
What is Hanukkah’s Significance?
Hanukkah celebrates the successful resistance of the Jewish Maccabee army against the Syrian-Greek oppressors in the 2nd century BCE. According to the Talmud, at the inauguration of the newly re-consecrated Temple, the Jewish rebels could only find enough oil to light the menorah for one day. However, a miracle occurred and the menorah stayed lit for 8 days—the time it took to prepare further oil. Hanukkah is a celebration of this miracle, and the miraculous rededication of the Temple.
Celebrating Hanukkah
The traditional celebration of Hanukkah includes the lighting of the menorah, eating traditional Hanukkah foods such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (doughnuts), playing dreidel games and exchanging gifts. Hanukkah is a time for family and friends to come together and celebrate the miracle of Jewish survival and perseverance.
Hanukkah each year ends 8 days and nights from when it begins, ending at nightfall of the 18th of Kislev (or the 19th if Sheki Ayin Beis is included). The holiday is joyous and celebrates the miracle of Jewish survival and perseverance. On Hanukkah, family and friends come together to light the menorah, eat traditional Hanukkah foods, play dreidel games, and exchange gifts. Hanukkah is a celebration of Jewish pride and faith, and is a beautiful reminder of the strong and vibrant Jewish community that has existed for centuries.
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Last update 2023-11-27. Price and product availability may change.