Happy Hanukkah!
This year, December 26 is part of the eight-day Festival of Lights.
It’s taking place a couple weeks later than it did the year before, and about a week later in December than next year.
And there’s a year in the far-off future where the calendar doesn’t include Hanukkah at all!
There’s a really big caveat here around the words “the calendar.”
Hanukkah commemorates the anniversary of the liberation of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, which on the Jewish calendar took place in the 25th day of the month of Kislev.
So if you’re using a Jewish calendar all that way into the future, there will be a Hanukkah right at the usual time.
But if you look at the Gregorian calendar for the year 3031, you’re not going to find Hanukkah.
That’s because the Gregorian calendar is based on the sun, and the Jewish calendar is based on the moon.
So holidays that take place at the same time each year on the Jewish calendar can take place at different times on the Gregorian calendar.
Most years, Hanukkah shows up on this calendar between late November and late December.
But, from time to time, the Jewish calendar includes a leap month to keep the lunar system better aligned with the sun.
And that leap month will push Hanukkah past the end of the Gregorian year 3031 into early January 3032.
If you’re looking forward to lighting menorahs and digging into some latkes and maybe playing a game of dreidel or two, you’ll have a wait a bit longer than usual.
But, because of the way the calendars work, this also means that there will be a second Hanukkah later in Gregorian year 3032.
So, you know, mark your calendars.
Untapped New York gave us tips on NYC’s most notable Christmas trees, and they’ve also got recommendations on some menorahs you might want to check out.
South Street Seaport has a menorah that looks like a ship’s sail, Gantry Plaza State Park in Queens has a large menorah with the Manhattan skyline in the background, and there’s the world record holder for largest menorah, in front of the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.
This Year’s Dates for Celebrating Hanukkah are Odd—Here’s Why (Newsweek)
9 GIANT MENORAHS THAT WILL LIGHT UP FOR HANUKKAH IN NYC (Untapped New York)
