Today begins the celebration of Hanukkah

 

When Is Hanukkah 2019?

December 9, 2014

By

Lauren Gordon

Never miss the Hanukkah celebration again

SHUTTERSTOCK

Celebrate the festival of lights, find out when the eight days of Hanukkah actually begin.[related]

In 165 B.C.E., a small group of faithful Jews, the Hasmoneans (Maccabees), defeated the Seleucids’ (Syrian-Greeks) large army and reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

Hanukkah (meaning “dedication” in Hebrew) commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. When they went to light the menorah, they found only a single cruse of blessed olive oil. The one-day supply miraculously burned for eight days, until new oil could be prepared.

Today practicing Jewish families celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah by lighting their own household menorahs, eating foods fried in oil, and spending time with loved ones. But unlike its other seasonal counterparts, Hanukkah’s date changes each year, since it is celebrated according to the Hebrew calendar, whereas we use the Gregorian calendar. It begins on the twenty-fifth day of the Jewish month of Kislev, which is connected to the lunar cycle. To make sure you and your family never miss a latke-filled moment, we pulled together the dates of Hanukkah in this and the coming years so you can plan ahead.

This year, Hanukkah falls on:

Hanukkah 2019 begins in the evening of Sunday, December 22 and ends in the evening of Monday, December 30