Light Hanukkah Candles
During Hanukkah, we light a menorah for eight nights to remember the miracle of the oil which lasted for eight days and nights. This ritual is accompanied by traditional blessings. On the first night of Hanukkah, we light one candle by using the shamash, a special ‘helper’ candle. For each of the following nights, we add an extra candle to the menorah. This year, we designed a very special set of Hanukkah candles to add a pop of color to each night.
Setting up your candles
A menorah has places for the shamash candle and eight additional candles. The shamash candle is a special candle used to light all the other candles. The shamash candle is placed in the highest spot on the menorah. For each night of Hanukkah, we place the corresponding number of candles on the menorah starting on the far right side.
Check out our illustrations for each night below.
Lighting your candles
Once you have placed all your candles in the correct spot, it’s time to light the shamash candle with a match or lighter. While saying the blessings, we use the shamash to light the other candles in order from left to right. After all of the candles have been lit, carefully place the shamash back in its spot.
As an example, the illustration below shows which candle to start lighting first on the third night of Hanukkah.
Candle Safety
Lighting candles are a fun and important part of celebrating Hanukkah. The safety of our community is our top priority so please be aware of the following fire safety precautions:
Lighting the menorah is a ritual that requires adult supervision.
Only burn candles within sight.
Keep candles away from things that can catch fire.
Keep candles and fire away from children.
Candles are not a toy.
The Days Flat Menorah is not to be used with candles greater than 4” tall.
Menorahs provided by Days can hold a maximum of 9 candles.
Menorahs provided by Days should not be moved after candles have been lit.
