Hanukkah is early this year – why is that?

Hanukkah always falls on the same date, but this year it’s happening a few days earlier. What’s going on?

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the victory of Judah Maccabee and his army over Greek-Syrian forces in 164 BCE. The holiday usually starts at sunset, which is around. November 27th of December 4th this year – depending on when the sun sets where you are. But either way, Hanukkah will be early because it begins with sunset from your location.

The shortest day of the year was December 22nd which means it will be dark outside during Hanukkah until December 31st. So why does this happen? Judaism follows a lunar calendar, so every month has 29 or 30 days instead of a set number like 365. This can cause some weird problems with holidays since they don’t always fall in the same spot each year based on our solar or Gregorian calendar.

At its core, Hanukkah recounts a story at the heart of the human spirit — one that is inherently Jewish and undeniably American. From my family to yours, we wish you and your loved ones a Chanukah Sameach, a Happy Hanukkah!

— President Biden (@POTUS) November 28, 2021

While the Hebrew calendar catches up with the Lunar cycle, Jewish holiday dates on the Gregorian calendar vary every year. This means Hanukkah might start as early as late November or even happen as late as December.

In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication.” It starts on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar. This year 2021, Hanukkah starts at sundown on Sunday, November 28, and it will continue until December 6.

Happy Hanukkah from the Biden-Harris Administration. pic.twitter.com/oTo2QxtT1R

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 28, 2021

The history

After two years of being pandemic-restricted, this year’s Hanukkah looked brighter, especially for Jewish people. Although the holiday often falls on the same Christmas holidays, the two are entirely different.

King Antiochus IV, an ancient ruler, has revoked Jewish religion and demanded the Jewish people to worship Greek gods. The Maccabees, an army composed of priest Matthahias’ followers and his son Judah fought back against King Antiochus IV. The Jews recover the temple, which is what Hanukkah is all about.

One of the major foundations of Hanukkah is lighting up the menorah during the eight nights of this holiday. This is a memoir that even a little bit of light can take over a lot of darkness.