When is Hanukkah, and how is the Jewish holiday celebrated each year? 18 December 2020 • 8:43am A giant Hanukkah Menorah is set up in front off the German landmark Brandenburg Gate, by the Jewish Chabad Educational Center for Hanukkah 2019 Credit: Markus Schreiber/AP Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival also known as the Festival of Lights, sees Jews around the world light one candle on a nine-branched menorah - or 'hanukiah candelabrum' - each day. The holiday begins on the 25th day of Kislev, which is the ninth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. In the western calendar, Hanukkah is celebrated in November or December. This year it began on Thursday December 10th, and continues until Friday December 18th.