36 days until Hanukkah
Friday, December 4, 2026Expected dateCounted in New York time. Today is not included.
In weeks, months and sleeps
Weeks and months are counted from today in your own time zone, the same way as the day count. "Sleeps" is the number of nights before Hanukkah, which is the same as the days if you count tonight.
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Countdown shows the same count on your home and lock screens and reminds you as the day gets close.
Dates
- Hanukkah: Friday, December 4, 2026
- Hanukkah: Friday, December 24, 2027
- Hanukkah: Tuesday, December 12, 2028
About this countdown
Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, which is why its date moves around from year to year. This page counts the days until the evening the first candle is lit.
- In 2026 the first candle is lit on the evening of Friday, December 4, and the eighth on Friday, December 11.
- Jewish days start at sundown, so the first night of Hanukkah is the evening before its first full day.
- The festival lasts eight nights. One more candle is lit each night, using the shamash, the helper candle.
Questions people ask
How many days until Hanukkah?
The number at the top of this page. It counts whole days to the day the first candle is lit, in your own time zone, with today not included.
Why is Hanukkah on different dates each year?
The Hebrew calendar follows both the moon and the sun, so the 25th of Kislev lands anywhere from late November to late December.
Is it Hanukkah or Chanukah?
Both. They are two ways of writing the same Hebrew word in English letters, and neither one is wrong.
On your lock screen
Add this date to the Countdown app for iPhone and it reminds you before the day. With Pro, the same count sits under the clock on your Lock Screen, so you see it without unlocking the phone.
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