Yahoo News Get Ready: This Year, Hanukkah Begins on Sunday
We are here once again ready to welcome the holiday season! While we start gearing up for all the festivities, you probably have already started thinking about who to buy for and how you will spend this holiday. But before you really get going on everything, you might be wondering when is Hanukkah since the holiday falls on a different calendar date every year.
Hanukkah is an eight-day celebration, also known as “The Festival of Lights,” which commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. While there are several traditions and ways to celebrate Hanukkah, common festivities include lighting the menorah and children playing with spinning dreidels. Oh, and who could forget all the delicious food during Hanukkah? Celebrate with crispy potato latkes and beef brisket or sweet Hanukkah desserts like Sufganiyot (jelly donuts) and pecan-apricot rugelach at your Hanukkah party.
So if you are wondering when is the best time to start decorating the house with blue and white Hanukkah decorations, we have outlined when Hanukkah is in 2022, plus why the date changes every year. Mark your calendars and let the festivities begin!
When is Hanukkah in 2022?
This year, Hanukkah will start on the evening of Sunday, December 18, 2022. It will end on the evening of Monday, December 26, 2022. Each year, Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of Kislev, which is the ninth month of the Jewish calendar. It ends on the second day of Tevet, which is the tenth month of the Jewish calendar. So why does it fall on a different day each year? The Hebrew calendar is a lunar one, which means it's based on the cycles of the moon. Meanwhile, the Gregorian calendar, which is the one most of us use every day, is a solar calendar. That means it's based on the Earth's movement around the sun. Since the calendars follow different cycles, a holiday the falls on a fixed date on one calendar will fall on a different day each year on the other.
What is Hanukkah?
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Hanukkah is a festival that "reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem." The celebration was instituted by Judas Maccabeus in 165 BC to commemorate his victory over Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a Seleucid king who had invaded Judaea and tried to outlaw Judaism. The festival is celebrated by lighting the menorah each night, reciting special prayers, and eating delicious foods.
How many days is Hanukkah?
Each year, Hanukkah is eight days long. This amount of time has significance, as described in the Talmud. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, "When Judas Maccabeus entered the [Second Temple of Jerusalem], he found only a small jar of oil that had not been defiled by Antiochus. The jar contained only enough oil to burn for one day, but miraculously the oil burned for eight days until new consecrated oil could be found, establishing the precedent that the festival should last eight days." Today, that means we get more time to celebrate with friends and family.
Want to learn more about this holiday? These are the most interesting facts to know about Hanukkah.
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