Don’t tell the kids, but one day there will be no Hanukkah. Seriously, in less than 1,000 years, in the year 3031, people will have to skip the Festival of Lights.
It’s all due to the Hebrew calendar. According to experts, the Hebrew calendar progresses differently than the Gregorian calendar in use today. So, Hanukkah moves back a little later each year. Because it typically starts in late November or December, by the year 3031, the difference between the Jewish lunar calendar and the Gregorian calendar will be so significant that Hanukkah will begin in January 3032, effectively skipping 3031 altogether.
There is an upside to this, as Hanukkah will occur again in December 3032, meaning it will be celebrated twice in the same year. (Fun fact: This month, Hanukkah starts at nightfall on Dec. 25 and ends on Jan. 2, meaning the holiday will be celebrated twice in 2025 as well.)
The Hebrew calendar makes up for some of the difference in leap years — seven of them in a 19-year cycle. However, it still slips one day roughly every 215 years.
Mathematicians say the reason we haven’t had a year without Hanukkah yet is because it’s only been about 1,600 years since the Hebrew calendar was mathematized.
The Hebrew calendar isn’t the only one with two holidays in one year. In 2030, there will be two Ramadan observances: the first in January and the second in December. The last time that occurred was in 1997.