December 2, 2010 is the first day, but the first candle is lit after sundown on December 1, 2010.
The first night of Hanukkah began at sundown on Dec. 1, 2010.
The first night was December 1st, 2010. The first Day was December 2.
Hanukkah in 2008 starts December 21st at night when the first candle is lit. The first day is December 22 and it runs through December 29th.
December 2-9, 2010 (It actually began the evening before the first day)
December 9
Sundown on the night entering the first day is when Hanukkah begins, and the first candle is lit (plus the helper-candle).
Hanukkah begins on the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev ... the third month of the year that began in the Fall with Rosh Hashana. That places the beginning of Hanukkah typically somewhere between late November and mid-December. In 2010, the first day of Hanukkah coincides with December 2.
Sundown, Dec 1
Hanukkah was first celebrated in 164 BCE, starting on the 25th of Kislev of that year.See dates of Hanukkah for the next couple of decades on this linked page.See also:More about Hanukkah
December 6, 1996
"Sunset, December 21 to sunset, December 29 The first Day of Hanukkah was December 22."
The last day was december 9. The last night was december 8