Hanukkah 2026: The Festival of Lights

Lighting the Chanukiah

The central mitzvah of Hanukkah is lighting the nine-branched chanukiah each night at sunset. Candles are added from right to left and lit from left to right, starting with the shamash (helper candle). The chanukiah is placed by a window to publicise the miracle. Three blessings are recited on the first night; two on subsequent nights.

Fried Foods — Latkes and Sufganiyot

Foods fried in oil recall the miracle. In Ashkenazi communities, potato latkes (crispy fried pancakes, served with sour cream or applesauce) are the favourite. In Israel and Sephardic communities, sufganiyot (jelly-filled doughnuts) are ubiquitous. Bakeries begin selling sufganiyot weeks before Hanukkah.

Dreidel and Gelt

The dreidel is a four-sided top with Hebrew letters standing for 'A great miracle happened there' (in Israel: 'here'). Players spin and win or lose tokens — traditionally chocolate coins. Gift-giving has become a widespread modern custom, with small gifts exchanged on each of the eight nights.

Public Menorah Lightings

Large public chanukiah lightings take place in town squares, airports, and landmarks worldwide — from the White House to the Eiffel Tower. Jewish organisations invite communities to public celebrations with music, doughnuts, and the shared lighting of the menorah.

What blessings are recited when lighting the Hanukkah menorah?

On the first night of Hanukkah, three blessings are recited before lighting: (1) 'Blessed are You... who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah light'; (2) '...who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days at this season'; and (3) Shehecheyanu — '...who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.' On subsequent nights, only the first two blessings are recited. Candles are placed from right to left and lit from left to right (the new candle first), using the shamash (helper candle) to kindle them. The chanukiah is lit after nightfall and placed by a window to publicise the miracle.

What is the miracle of Hanukkah?

In 165 BCE, the Maccabees — a small group of Jewish fighters led by Judah the Maccabee — recaptured the Temple in Jerusalem from the Seleucid Greek ruler Antiochus IV, who had desecrated it by installing idols and forbidding Jewish practice. When they came to rededicate the Temple (Hanukkah means 'dedication'), they found only enough ritually pure olive oil to light the Temple menorah for one day. Miraculously, it burned for eight days — exactly the time needed to prepare a new supply of pure oil. The rabbis instituted Hanukkah to commemorate this miracle of the oil and the military victory of the few over the many.