How many days until Hanukkah?
A live countdown to the first candle, with the dates of all eight nights.
When Hanukkah starts
Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar and lasts eight nights and eight days. A day in the Jewish calendar starts at sundown, so the first candle is lit on the evening before the first day that most calendars list.
That is why you often see two dates. In 2026 the first candle is lit at sundown on Friday, December 4, and the first full day of Hanukkah is Saturday, December 5. The countdown above runs to the day of the first candle, and the line under it shows the first full day.
Why the date changes every year
The Hebrew calendar is lunisolar: its months follow the moon, and a leap month is added seven times in every 19 years to keep the festivals in their seasons. Against the Gregorian calendar the dates therefore move, and Hanukkah begins anywhere from late November to late December. Some years, such as 2027, it runs into January.
How this countdown works
The page finds the 25th of Kislev with the Hebrew calendar built into your browser, and the dates were checked against a published Jewish calendar for the years in the table. It counts down to the start of the day of the first candle in your own time zone.
Sundown depends on where you are, so the exact time of candle lighting does too. For the minute in your town, check a local Jewish calendar or your community.
Hanukkah for the next five years
| Year | First candle (evening) | First full day | Last day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Fri, Dec 4 | Sat, Dec 5 | Sat, Dec 12 |
| 2027 | Fri, Dec 24 | Sat, Dec 25 | Sat, Jan 1, 2028 |
| 2028 | Tue, Dec 12 | Wed, Dec 13 | Wed, Dec 20 |
| 2029 | Sat, Dec 1 | Sun, Dec 2 | Sun, Dec 9 |
| 2030 | Fri, Dec 20 | Sat, Dec 21 | Sat, Dec 28 |
The eight nights
One candle is lit on the first night, and one more is added each night until all eight burn on the last night. A ninth candle, the shammash, is used to light the others, which is why a Hanukkah menorah, the hanukkiah, has nine branches. The list in the countdown shows the evening of each night for the coming Hanukkah.
Put the Hanukkah countdown on your Home Screen
- Install Left on your iPhone and open Ahead.
- Tap Add a date ahead, choose New date, name it Hanukkah and set Starts to the evening of the first candle.
- Add Left’s Ahead widget to your Home Screen or Lock Screen and choose the date in Edit Widget.
Because Hanukkah moves every year, add the next year’s date once this one has passed; the table above has them. The countdown widget page shows the widget styles.
Read more
- The best countdown widgets for iPhone
- Organise your dates in Ahead and Since
- Add a widget to your iPhone Lock Screen
Questions
Why does the date of Hanukkah change every year?
Hanukkah is always on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, which follows the moon and adds a leap month seven times every 19 years. In the Gregorian calendar that lands on a different date each year, between late November and late December.
Does Hanukkah start at sundown?
Yes. Jewish days begin at sundown, so Hanukkah starts on the evening before the first day shown on most calendars, when the first candle is lit. In 2026 that is the evening of Friday, December 4.
How many nights is Hanukkah?
Eight nights and eight days. One more candle is lit each night, from one on the first night to eight on the last, plus the shammash used to light them.
What does Hanukkah celebrate?
Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, recalls the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the second century BCE and the story of a small supply of oil that lasted eight days. It is a joyful festival marked by lighting the menorah, blessings and family gatherings, and in most places work and school continue as usual.
Keep the countdown in sight.
Add the date to Ahead in Left and a widget counts it down on your Home Screen, Lock Screen and Apple Watch, with a reminder before the day.
Scan or search "Left" on the App Store.