How many candles in total, including the shamash, are lit over Hanukkah’s eight nights? The answer is 44.
On the first night, one festival candle is lit, along with the shamash, the “helper” candle used to ignite the others. Each night adds one more festival light: two on night two, three on night three, and so on through eight on the final night. The festival candles therefore total 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 = 36.
The shamash is ordinarily lit on every night, adding eight more candles and bringing the cumulative total to 44. This is a supply count across the holiday, not the number burning at once on the last night; on that night, nine lights are lit simultaneously.
A common mix-up is answering 36, which excludes the shamash. The Hanukkah lamp is technically a hanukkiah, with eight lights for the holiday and a separate ninth position for the shamash. Some families use oil lamps rather than wax candles, but the same eight-plus-helper counting pattern applies.