When Do You Light a Yahrzeit Candle?

When Do You Light a Yahrzeit Candle?

Quick answer: A yahrzeit candle is lit before sunset on the evening before the Hebrew anniversary of a loved one’s death. Because Jewish calendar days begin at sunset, the candle burns for 24 to 26 hours throughout the night and following day. No specific blessing is required when lighting the candle, though many recite personal prayers or give charity in memory of the deceased.

You light the candle on the evening before the Hebrew anniversary of the death, not on the day itself. Jewish days begin at sunset, so the yahrzeit date actually starts the prior evening, and the candle should be burning when that evening arrives. If your mother’s yahrzeit is 14 Nisan, the candle gets lit before sunset on the evening when 13 Nisan ends.

That sunset detail matters more than people expect. If the death occurred after sunset, halachically the death date is the following Hebrew day. Our yahrzeit calculator applies the sunset rule automatically when it computes the anniversary date, and the yahrzeit guide explains the reasoning. If you are working from a civil death certificate, converting the date is the first step, and our Hebrew date converter does that in one click.

Because the Hebrew year is lunisolar and roughly 11 days shorter than the solar Gregorian year, the civil date of a yahrzeit moves earlier each year. After a 13 month Hebrew leap year, the civil date jumps later by about a month, which is why checking the annual Hebrew date calculation is essential for proper memorial planning.

How Long Does a Yahrzeit Candle Burn?

The standard yahrzeit candle is a small glass jar with a wick that burns about 24 to 26 hours, designed to last from one evening through the full anniversary day until after nightfall the next night. You can find them at supermarkets, kosher grocery stores, and synagogue gift shops in most cities with a Jewish community. No specific blessing is required when lighting it.

The candle is meant to burn out on its own. You do not blow it out when the yahrzeit ends; it finishes naturally, usually sometime the following night. If the flame goes out early by accident, most authorities allow relighting it, though some people have a family custom not to relight on the yahrzeit itself. If that question ever becomes practical, ask your rabbi.

Is There a Prayer to Say?

There is no fixed statutory blessing for lighting a yahrzeit candle. Many people take the moment to say a quiet personal prayer, often asking that the soul of the departed be elevated or simply speaking to them the way you would at the graveside. Some have the custom to give charity (tzedakah) in the loved one’s memory around the yahrzeit, since performing a good deed or learning Torah in someone’s merit is considered an enduring honor to their soul.

What you do not need is a Hebrew text or a specific formula. The candle itself is the custom, and it is a long standing minhag rather than a strict legal requirement. The quiet of standing by a small flame and remembering a person is the whole point.

Reciting Kaddish is also central to mourning tradition. Following a parent’s burial, Kaddish is recited during daily prayers for 11 months rather than a full 12 months, per tradition out of respect for the deceased parent, and then annually on the yahrzeit date itself during communal synagogue services.

Do You Light for Yizkor Days Too?

Yes, and this catches many people by surprise. A memorial candle is also lit before sunset on days when the Yizkor memorial prayer is recited in synagogue: Yom Kippur, Shemini Atzeret, the last day of Pesach, and the second day of Shavuot. For example, in 2027 in the Diaspora, Yizkor dates fall on April 29 (Passover eighth day), June 12 (Shavuot second day), October 11 (Yom Kippur), and October 23 (Shemini Atzeret).

In Israel, where the festivals are one day shorter, Yizkor is said on Yom Kippur, the combined Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, the seventh day of Pesach, and the single day of Shavuot.

Even people who cannot get to synagogue light a candle at home on those days. The custom applies to anyone who has lost a parent, and in many communities to other close relatives as well. If you are not sure whether Yizkor applies to your situation, our Jewish holidays calendar shows the full holiday schedule for the year so you can plan ahead.

What About the Shiva Week?

A memorial candle also burns during shiva, the seven day mourning period following a burial. For that week people typically use a larger seven day candle in the same style of glass jar, lit at the start of shiva and simply left alone until it goes out.

Can You Use an Electric Candle Instead?

When an open flame is impossible, such as in a hospital room, a care facility, or a dormitory with strict rules, an electric memorial bulb is widely accepted as a substitute. The point of the custom is remembering, not fire for its own sake. In places where it is allowed, though, the traditional flame is preferred.

A Simple Checklist for Yahrzeit Night

• Confirm the correct Hebrew anniversary date, applying the sunset rule to the original death.
• Pick up a 24 hour glass yahrzeit candle before the day arrives.
• Light it before sunset on the eve of the yahrzeit.
• Let it burn out on its own, roughly through the following night.
• Consider attending services, saying Kaddish if you are in the first year or observing the custom, or giving charity in the person’s memory.

For the date itself, the calendar math is genuinely easy to get wrong by hand, especially in a Hebrew leap year with two Adars. That is exactly why we built the yahrzeit calculator. Enter the date of death once and it returns the Hebrew date, the next anniversary, and the sunset adjustment, all in one place.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

Lighting a yahrzeit candle is a meaningful tradition that connects generations through memory and reflection. Knowing the exact Hebrew date of death ensures you light the candle at the proper time each year.

Calculate upcoming yahrzeit dates and candle lighting times effortlessly with our free yahrzeit calculator.