What day does Chanukah start this year?
The same day it is every year—the 25th of Kislev.
One of the most common questions we Jews are asked is “When is Chanukah this year?” Where it falls on the calendar seems to confuse non-Jews to no end.
A large part of the confusion is the Jewish calendar. Chanukah doesn’t just hopscotch around the calendar. There truly is a rhyme and reason for wherever it happens to fall (whether that be as early as Thanksgiving or as late as January).
The rhyme and reason comes from an adherence in the Hebrew calendar, as opposed to a traditional Gregorian one. Whereas the secular Gregorian calendar is dictated by the earth’s rotation around the sun, the Hebrew calendar is primarily lunar. In Judaism, a day begins not with the rising of the sun, but with the setting of it and the appearance of the moon. New months begin with the new moon. To keep the months fairly consistent with the seasons, a leap month is added approximately every three years.
So while Chanukah always begins on the 25th of Kislev, where that happens to fall on the much, much more common secular calendar can vary by as little as a few days one year to a few months another.
Part of the confusion is that the festival is eight days long. So while it begins one day, it continues for over a week. Remember, in Judaism, a day starts when the sun sets. While a Gregorian calendar may say Chanukah starts on December 6th, it actually doesn’t begin until the evening and it lasts until the evening of Monday, Dec. 14.
If this all baffles you, you’re not alone. The only reason many of us know the date is simply because we have the benefit of Hebrew calendars hanging in our homes. I will confess that, when non-Jews ask us when Chanukah falls, many Jews won’t know until after consulting Rabbi Google.
