Over eight days and eight nights, families and friends across the globe come together to celebrate Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights. The Jewish holiday arrives each year in the late fall or early winter (usually around the same time as Christmas and Kwanzaa) and is celebrated with festive traditions, such as lighting the menorah, playing dreidel, and eating fried foods like latkes and sufganiyot (jelly donuts).
Hanukkah, which is a Hebrew word meaning “dedication,” has been observed for more than 2,000 years. It commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after a small group of Jewish people, known as the Maccabees, reclaimed it from the Syrian-Greeks in the second century BCE. According to History.com, the Syrian-Greeks had taken control over Israel, outlawed the Jewish religion, and forced Jewish people to worship the Greek gods. But in a rebellion led by the Jewish priest Mattathias and then his son, Judah Maccabee, the Jewish people took back their temple and restored their religion in their land.
The date on which Hanukkah falls is based on the Jewish calendar and changes every year. So, when is Hanukkah 2023? Here’s everything you need to know to celebrate the Jewish holiday.
When is Hanukkah 2023?
Hanukkah 2023 begins on the evening of Thursday, December 7, 2023, and ends on the evening of Friday, December 15, 2023.
The holiday always starts on the 25th day of Kislev, which is the ninth month of the Jewish calendar, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. The Jewish calendar is luni-solar, which means that the beginning and end of each month is determined by the positions of the moon and sun. This explains why Hanukkah changes dates every year.
Why is Hanukkah eight days long?
The history of Hanukkah dates back to the second century BCE, when the Jewish people reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem from the Syrian-Greeks. According to History.com, the small group was called on to restore the temple and relight the menorah, a seven-branched candelabra that stood at the altar. While there was said to be only enough oil to light the candles for one day, the candles continued to burn for eight days. Today, a menorah for Hanukkah, also known as a hanukkiah, has nine candles — eight to represent the eight days the candles burned, and one to light them all.
What are Hanukkah traditions?
Besides lighting the menorah each night, Hanukkah is celebrated with gift-giving, decorating in blue and white, and eating fried foods (a nod to the oil that gave light to the Maccabees). Popular foods to eat around Hanukkah include latkes (potato pancakes), sufganiyot (jelly donuts), brisket, and kugel. Playing dreidel, a spinning top with four sides, is another fun tradition. Each side of the dreidel is inscribed with a Hebrew letter that forms the saying, “A great miracle happened there,” according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
Leah Campano is an Associate Editor at Seventeen, where she covers pop culture, entertainment news, health, and politics. On the weekends, you can probably find her watching marathons of vintage Real Housewives episodes or searching for New York City’s best almond croissants.
