=On the last night of Hanukkah their are 8 candles burning.==However, you have to add one extra candle called the "shamash" which is a candle higher than all and you use the "shamash" to light every candle from left to right. they are lit to commemorate the Hanukkah miracles.=
On the eighth evening following the 25th of Kislev.
they are lit on each of the 8 nights of Hanukkah.
On the 8Th evening of the holiday
The first candle was lit on the side closest to the right of the menorah.
The first candle is lit on November 27, and the last candle (the eight candles) on December 5.
Each day of Hanukkah, an additional candle is lit on the menorah.
Sundown, Dec 1
Sundown on the night entering the first day is when Hanukkah begins, and the first candle is lit (plus the helper-candle).
The menorah is the standard term for the 9-branched candle holder used on Hanukkah. Others call it a Chanukiah or Hanukkiyyah. Each night of Hanukkah, candles are lit to commemorate the miracle of Hanukkah. On the first night, one candle is lit (plus the helper candle used to light the others), ending with 8 candles on the 8th night.
On the first night of Hanukkah, which happens to be tonight December 21, 2008 (also Winter Solstice) the highest candle, the Shamus candle, is lit first and then used to light one candle in the farthest right position of the menorah. On the second night the Shamus is lit again and two candles are lit and so on for a total of eight nights, each successive night adding one more candle.
This year (2011) the first candle was lit on Dec. 20. The eighth and last night of Hanukkah candlelighting will be on Dec. 27.
The main "event" of Hanukkah is the evening candle lighting. (Every night of the 8 nights of Hanukkah the menorah is lit with one more candle; thus on the first evening 1 candle is lit, on the 8th evening 8 candles are lit.) Candle lighting is done preferably at dusk or as the starts come out. Latecomers can light as long as they have an audience - until dawn. After candle lighting it is customary to sing songs (like Ma'oz Tzur) and play with a dreidel; a 4 sided Hanukkah-top.
Because Jewish days start at sunset. So last night was the beginning of the first day.
Each night of the 8 nights of Hanukkah, the candles are lit. 2 candles are lit on the first night, and then each night an additinal candle is lit until all 9 candles are lit on the 8th night.
The first night of Hanukkah in 2016 will begin in the evening of December 24, 2016. Because December 24 will be a Shabbat, the first Hanukkah candle is lit after twilight. On weekday nights, the nightly candles may be lit earlier.See also:More about Hanukkah