Chanukah begins on the 25^th day of the 9th month (aka “Kislev”)

In 2009
on the Traditional Hillel II calendar
the first Chanukah candle is lit
Friday evening, December 11^th

^{(If you light candles for Sabbath, halakha is to light Chanukah candles before the Sabbath candles)}

On the calendar based on the Abiv Barley and visible sighting of the New Moon in Israel, the 25th day of the 9th month is one day later.

When the holiday is a traditional holiday and not a moed (appointed time) or miqra kodesh (commanded assembly), our congregation celebrates on the traditional calendar dates except for the years when the two calendars are a month apart. In those years we follow the Abiv calendar dates for the traditional holidays as well so that Purim does not conflict with Pesach (Passover).

Messianic candle lighting blessings and daily scripture readings for the eight nights of Chanukah

Includes blessings and instructions for lighting the Chanukiah (9-branch menorah) as well as scripture readings for each night a candle is lit.

Chanukah Recipes

• Instructions for making latkes (article)
  “The best latkes are golden and crunchy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside, and perfectly seasoned.” Here's easy-to-follow instructions and troubleshooting help for how to make these!
  

• Feed Me Bubbe: Latkes (video)
  A fun and informative video showing how to make Latkes (uses a blender instead of grating). You can view it at their website (uses flashplayer, includes recipe) or on YouTube.

So... what is Chanukah all about?

Is Chanukah the Jewish Christmas?
A pictorial cartoon explanation of Chanukah, for the uninitiated. Look at the side bar of this linked page for many links to much more information on Chanukah. Jewish website.

What is Hanukkah and How Do We Celebrate It?
Messianic Website.

Judaism 101: Chanukah
Jewish Website.

Read the History Yourself:

1 Maccabees

2 Maccabees

Josephus (very short and condensed)

At that time the Feast of the Dedication (Chanukah) took place at Jerusalem; it was winter,
and Yeshua was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon.
Yochanan / John 10:22-23