On what day of the Hebrew month Kislev does Hanukkah begin?

Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month Kislev. The date is fixed on the Hebrew calendar, even though its corresponding Gregorian date shifts each year, usually falling in November or December.

The holiday commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the second century BCE. According to Jewish tradition, a small quantity of consecrated oil lasted for eight days, inspiring Hanukkah’s Festival of Lights observances.

Hanukkah lasts eight nights and generally continues into the month of Tevet. Its ending date can be 2 or 3 Tevet, because Kislev may contain either 29 or 30 days. This is why Hanukkah does not have one permanent date on the Gregorian calendar, despite always beginning on 25 Kislev.