On what date does Hanukkah fall?

Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev and lasts eight days (Shulchan Aruch, OC 670:1). The first lighting is on the evening before the 25th. The festival recalls the rededication of the Temple and the oil that lasted eight days, as described in Shabbat 21b. Unlike a festival Yom Tov, Hanukkah does not itself prohibit ordinary work (OC 670:1).

The daily pattern is one light on the first evening, increasing by one each evening until eight lights are lit (OC 671:2). Household practice differs: Shulchan Aruch prescribes one increasing set for the household, followed in Sephardi practice; the Rema records separate lighting by household members, followed in Ashkenazi practice (Rema, OC 671:2).

A Beit Din may ask how the number of lights changes, or why Friday requires advance preparation. A common mistake is buying short candles that burn out before the required period, particularly when lighting early before Shabbat.