Countdown to Hanukkah

What is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, lasts eight days and remembers the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. Each evening one more candle of the menorah is lit, and there are songs, games with the dreidel and food fried in oil.

When is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev in the Jewish calendar, which follows both the moon and the sun, so it falls between late November and late December. The countdown is to the first day; the first candle is lit the evening before.

Ways to mark the day

• Light the menorah, one more candle each night.
• Make latkes or doughnuts, the fried foods of the festival.
• Play dreidel, the spinning top game.

How the countdown works

The date is worked out for every year, so the clock always counts down to the next one. It counts on your own device’s time and reaches zero at midnight where you are. Full screen puts it on a classroom board or a big screen, and Your own event counts down to a date of your own instead.