Hanukkah 2027 begins at sundown on Friday, December 24, 2027 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, January 1, 2028. In the Hebrew calendar that is 25 Kislev to 2 Tevet 5788.
This is one of the latest Hanukkah dates possible. The festival always begins on 25 Kislev, which can land anywhere from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.
In 2026 it began on December 4; in 2027 it begins twenty days later and runs past New Year’s Day. The first night falls on Christmas Eve and the eighth on New Year’s Eve.
Table of Contents
When is Hanukkah 2027?
Sundown Friday, December 24, 2027 to nightfall Saturday, January 1, 2028. All Jewish days begin at nightfall, so each night’s candle is lit on the evening the date begins.
| Night | Candles lit on the evening of | Day | Hebrew date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friday, December 24 | Friday | 25 Kislev |
| 2 | Saturday, December 25 | Saturday | 26 Kislev |
| 3 | Sunday, December 26 | Sunday | 27 Kislev |
| 4 | Monday, December 27 | Monday | 28 Kislev |
| 5 | Tuesday, December 28 | Tuesday | 29 Kislev |
| 6 | Wednesday, December 29 | Wednesday | 30 Kislev |
| 7 | Thursday, December 30 | Thursday | 1 Tevet |
| 8 | Friday, December 31 | Friday | 2 Tevet |
An additional candle is lit each evening on the nine-branched hanukkiah, beginning with one and reaching eight on the final night. The ninth branch holds the shamash, the candle used to light the others (Hebcal).
Two Fridays and what they mean
The first and eighth nights both fall on a Friday in 2027, which is Shabbat eve. Where Hanukkah candles and Shabbat candles are both lit, the Hanukkah candles are lit first, before Shabbat begins.
Both Fridays are also federal closures in the United States, for reasons unconnected to Hanukkah.
December 24 is the observed date for Christmas Day 2027, which falls on a Saturday, and December 31 is the observed date for New Year’s Day 2028, which also falls on a Saturday.
Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa all overlap in 2027
| Observance | 2027–28 dates |
|---|---|
| Hanukkah | Sundown Dec 24 – nightfall Jan 1 |
| Christmas Day | Saturday, Dec 25, observed Friday Dec 24 |
| Kwanzaa | Dec 26 – Jan 1 |
The three overlap more completely in 2027 than in most years. Hanukkah and Kwanzaa end on the same day, January 1, 2028, and Christmas falls between their start dates.
What Hanukkah commemorates
Hanukkah — from the Hebrew for “dedication” — marks the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire (Hebcal; Wikipedia).
Antiochus IV Epiphanes had the Temple rededicated to Zeus Olympius around 168 BCE. Forces led by Judah Maccabee — the name likely from an Aramaic word for “hammer” — recaptured Jerusalem, removed the pagan altar, and purified the Temple (Bible Odyssey; Indiana University Northwest).
The narrative is in 1 Maccabees, chapters 1 to 4 — a book in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles and in the Protestant Apocrypha. The Gospel of John also records Jesus at the Temple during the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22).
The eight-day duration comes from a separate tradition, recorded in the Talmud at Shabbat 21b: only one day’s worth of ritually pure olive oil remained, and it burned for eight days until more could be prepared (Wikipedia).
Hanukkah 2027 closures
| Institution | Hanukkah period |
|---|---|
| Federal offices | Open, except Fri Dec 24 and Fri Dec 31 |
| Banks and Federal Reserve | Same |
| U.S. Postal Service | Same |
| NYSE and Nasdaq | Closed Dec 24; open Dec 27–31 |
| Public schools | Winter break in most districts |
Hanukkah is not a federal holiday and closes nothing in the United States.
Note that the two Friday closures diverge by institution. December 24 is a full closure everywhere.
On December 31 federal offices and banks shut but the stock market trades a full session, under the year-end exception in NYSE Rule 7.2 (NYSE).
It is also, within Judaism, a minor festival rather than a major one — work is permitted throughout, unlike on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur or the pilgrimage festivals.
Its prominence in the United States owes largely to its proximity to Christmas.
In Israel, Hanukkah is a school holiday and public menorah lightings are held nationally.
Hanukkah dates 2025 to 2031
| Year | Begins at sundown | Ends at nightfall |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | December 14 | December 22 |
| 2026 | December 4 | December 12 |
| 2027 | December 24 | January 1, 2028 |
| 2028 | December 12 | December 20 |
| 2029 | December 1 | December 9 |
| 2030 | December 20 | December 28 |
| 2031 | December 9 | December 17 |
Dates through 2028 are from Wikipedia and Hebcal; later years should be confirmed at hebcal.com before use.
The swing of nearly a month between years is the Hebrew calendar at work: it is lunisolar, inserting a leap month in seven years of every nineteen to keep the festivals in their seasons.
What Hanukkah 2027 is not
Hanukkah is not the Jewish Christmas. The two are unrelated observances that happen to fall near each other in the Gregorian calendar, and in some years do not overlap at all.
It is not a major Jewish festival in religious terms. Work is permitted throughout, which is not true of the High Holy Days or the pilgrimage festivals.
It is not fixed to December. 25 Kislev can fall from late November to late December. In 2029 the festival begins on December 1 and is over before Christmas.
It is not a federal holiday and closes nothing in the United States.
Frequently asked questions
When is Hanukkah 2027?
It begins at sundown on Friday, December 24, 2027 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, January 1, 2028 (Hebcal). The first candle is lit on the evening of December 24 and the eighth on the evening of December 31.
Why does Hanukkah change dates every year?
Because it is fixed to 25 Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, which is lunisolar rather than solar. The Hebrew calendar inserts a leap month in seven years of every nineteen, so the Gregorian date shifts by up to a month. Hanukkah began on December 4 in 2026 and begins on December 24 in 2027.
Does Hanukkah overlap Christmas in 2027?
Yes. The first night falls on Christmas Eve, Friday, December 24, and the second on Christmas Day itself. Kwanzaa also overlaps, running December 26 to January 1. All three observances share the same nine-day window in 2027.
Sources
- Hebcal, Chanukah 2027 — https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/chanukah-2027
- Hebcal, Jewish Holidays 2027 — https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/2027
- Hebcal, Chanukah (general) — https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/chanukah
- Wikipedia, Hanukkah — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah
- Bible Odyssey, Hanukkah — https://www.bibleodyssey.org/articles/hanukkah/
- Indiana University Northwest LibGuides, Hanukkah — https://libguides.iun.edu/holidays/hanukkah
