Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, 4 December 2026 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, 12 December 2026 — eight nights of candles, latkes and dreidel. This page collects 18 free Hanukkah cards, images and ready-to-send wishes you can download in one tap and share on WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram or email — no sign-up, no watermark, no cost.
Festival: Hanukkah (Chanukah), the Festival of Lights
2026 dates: Sundown Friday 4 December to nightfall Saturday 12 December 2026
Hebrew date: 25 Kislev 5787, for eight nights
First candle: Friday evening, 4 December — lit before the Shabbat candles
Last candles: Friday evening, 11 December, when all eight are lit
Candles in total: 44 over eight nights, counting the shamash
Greetings: Happy Hanukkah; Chag Sameach — "happy holiday"; Chag Urim Sameach — "happy Festival of Lights"
Use the Download button to save a card and the Copy text link to lift the matching message straight into your chat.
Pick a card that suits the person you are sending to — a glowing menorah for family, an animated card for friends, a simple Chag Sameach for colleagues. Each one downloads as a full-resolution file that stays sharp when WhatsApp compresses it.
Short lines work best on WhatsApp; longer ones suit email or a card. Pair any of these with an image above.
"Wishing you a joyous and light-filled Hanukkah! May each candle you light bring warmth to your home and joy to your heart."
"Happy Hanukkah! May this Festival of Lights fill your life with happiness, health and love."
"As we celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah, may your days be filled with light and your hearts filled with peace. Chag Sameach!"
"This Hanukkah, may your blessings be abundant and your troubles be few. Enjoy the warmth of family and friends!"
"Wishing you a Hanukkah filled with more gelt than you can count! Just remember, calories don't count during the holidays!"
"Happy Hanukkah! May your menorah shine brighter than your cousin's potato latkes!"
Hanukkah begins on 25 Kislev. Because the Hebrew day starts at sundown, the first candle is lit on the evening of the first date.
| Year | First candle, at sundown | Ends at nightfall |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday, 4 December 2026 | Saturday, 12 December 2026 |
| 2027 | Friday, 24 December 2027 | Saturday, 1 January 2028 |
| 2028 | Tuesday, 12 December 2028 | Wednesday, 20 December 2028 |
One more candle is added each evening, lit from the shamash, the helper candle. Hanukkah 2026 ends at nightfall on Saturday, 12 December.
| Night | Evening of | Candles lit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Night 1 | Friday, 4 December | 1 + shamash | Light before the Shabbat candles |
| Night 2 | Saturday, 5 December | 2 + shamash | Light after Shabbat ends |
| Night 3 | Sunday, 6 December | 3 + shamash | |
| Night 4 | Monday, 7 December | 4 + shamash | |
| Night 5 | Tuesday, 8 December | 5 + shamash | |
| Night 6 | Wednesday, 9 December | 6 + shamash | |
| Night 7 | Thursday, 10 December | 7 + shamash | |
| Night 8 | Friday, 11 December | 8 + shamash | Light before the Shabbat candles |
Hanukkah means "dedication". In the second century BCE the Maccabees recaptured Jerusalem and rededicated the Second Temple. Tradition holds that only one day's supply of pure oil was found for the Temple menorah, yet it burned for eight days — the miracle the festival's eight nights recall.
The festival is kept mostly at home rather than in the synagogue. Each evening one more candle is added to the nine-branched hanukkiah, lit from the helper candle, the shamash, and set where it can be seen from the street. Foods fried in oil — latkes and sufganiyot — sit on the table, children spin the dreidel for chocolate gelt, and small gifts are often exchanged. It is a joyful festival, and a warm "Happy Hanukkah" is exactly the right greeting.
Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, 4 December 2026 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, 12 December 2026. The first candle is lit on the evening of 4 December, which is also the start of Shabbat, so the Hanukkah candles are lit before the Shabbat candles that evening.
In 2027 Hanukkah runs from sundown on Friday, 24 December 2027 to nightfall on Saturday, 1 January 2028, so the first candle is lit on Christmas Eve. In 2028 it runs from sundown on Tuesday, 12 December to nightfall on Wednesday, 20 December.
Hanukkah, also spelled Chanukah and known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish festival that begins on 25 Kislev. It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean revolt and the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days.
Happy Hanukkah and Chag Sameach, meaning 'happy holiday', are the most common greetings. Chag Urim Sameach means 'happy Festival of Lights'. Both Hanukkah and Chanukah are correct spellings.
Tradition holds that when the Temple was rededicated, there was only enough pure oil to light the menorah for one day, yet it burned for eight. One more candle is lit each night, using a helper candle called the shamash, until all eight burn on the final night.
Foods fried in oil recall the miracle of the oil, most famously latkes, which are potato pancakes, and sufganiyot, which are jam-filled doughnuts. Children also play dreidel, a four-sided spinning top, often for chocolate coins called gelt.
One candle on the first night, two on the second, and so on up to eight on the last night, each lit from the shamash. That makes 36 Hanukkah candles, or 44 counting the shamash each night.
Candles are placed in the hanukkiah from right to left, one more each night. The shamash is lit first and used to light the others, starting with the newest candle on the left.
Yes. A warm Happy Hanukkah or Chag Sameach from a friend, neighbour or colleague is welcome, and sending one of the cards on this page is a simple way to do it.
Yes. Every Hanukkah card on this page is free to download and share on WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and email for personal, non-commercial use. No registration or payment is required.
Tap Download under any card to save the image to your device, open the WhatsApp chat or Status you want to post to, attach the saved image, and paste a greeting using the Copy text link beneath the card.
All Hanukkah cards on this page are created and owned by DeepestFeelings. You are welcome to download them and share them free of charge for personal, non-commercial greetings — on WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, email or in print. Please do not sell them, bundle them into paid products, or remove the DeepestFeelings name where it appears.
