When does Hanukkah start this year? And what’s the correct way to light a menorah? Here are answers to some of the key questions people usually ask about Hanukkah.
WASHINGTON — The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, also known as the “Festival of Lights,” begins this week.
Hanukkah commemorates the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after a small group called the Maccabees defeated the Greek Syrian army. During the battle, the Jews had only enough oil to light the Temple’s menorah for one night, but the oil lasted for eight.
Here are some of the top Hanukkah questions people traditionally ask about the holiday, according to Google Trends data.
When is the first night of Hanukkah?
This year, the first night of Hanukkah falls on Wednesday, Dec. 25 – Yes, Hanukkah begins on Christmas Day for 2024.
How often does the first day of Hanukkah fall on Christmas?
This is only the fifth time s ince 1910 that the first night of Hanukkah also falls on Christmas Day. The last time this happened was 2005 . It also occurred in 1910, 1921 and 1959.
The next time Hanukkah falls on Christmas will be in 2035.
Since 1902, the first day of Hanukkah, which begins at sundown, has fallen on Christmas Eve four times (1902, 1940, 1978 and 2016).
What determines when Hanukkah is?
Each year, Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of Kislev, which is the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar. The Hebrew calendar is lunar, as opposed to the Gregorian calendar that most of the world uses, which is solar.
Because of the calendar difference, the start of Hanukkah seems to move around. This year, it begins on Christmas Day and in 2013, the “Festival of Lights” even coincided with Thanksgiving, something that won’t happen again until the year 79,811.
How long is Hanukkah?
Hanukkah lasts for eight days.
How many candles are used for Hanukkah?
During each night of Hanukkah, you light one candle for each night plus an additional one called the shamash, the “helper” candle, which is lit first each night and used to light all the others.
So, on the first night of Hanukkah, the shamash is lit, along with one other candle.
Over the course of the eight nights of Hanukkah, 44 candles will be used.
How to set up Hanukkah candles
After the shamash, the first candle goes in the spot on the far right of the menorah. On the second night, a second candle is also added to the immediate left of the previous night’s candle, and so on for all eight nights. However, you light the newest candle (whichever is furthest left on the menorah) first and continue from left to right.
So while candles are placed right to left, you light them from left to right.
What do you eat on Hanukkah?
Traditional Hanukkah foods include fried potato pancakes, called latkes, and jelly donuts, called sufganiyot. Latkes and sufganiyot are typically fried and are meant to commemorate the Hanukkah miracle of the oil lasting for eight nights.
