when did hanukkah start

Hanukkah began as a Jewish festival in the 2nd century BCE, marking the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean revolt, traditionally dated to the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev in 164 BCE.

Core date in history

• The origin of Hanukkah is tied to the victory of the Jewish Maccabees over the Seleucid Greeks and the reclaiming of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

• The first Hanukkah is associated with the Temple’s rededication on 25 Kislev, in about 164 BCE, which became the annual start date of the festival in the Jewish calendar.

What “when did Hanukkah start” can mean

• Historically : It “started” in the 2nd century BCE, with that initial celebration of rededication and thanksgiving after the revolt.

• Every year : Hanukkah always starts on 25 Kislev, but because the Jewish calendar is lunar, on the modern (Gregorian) calendar it can begin anytime from late November to late December.

This year’s timing (context)

• In contemporary practice, people usually ask this question each year to find out what date 25 Kislev falls on in the current Gregorian year, since it shifts annually.

• News and educational sites regularly publish reminders each December explaining that the shifting start date comes from the difference between the Hebrew lunar calendar and the solar-based Gregorian calendar.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.