May one go to the cemetery on Hanukkah?

Question: A person has the anniversary of a relative’s passing during Hanukkah. Should he go to the cemetery as he does every year?

Answer:

The Ben Ish Chai writes that it is not customary to go to the cemetery during Hanukkah for the annual visit on the anniversary of a passing, known as the yahrzeit.

Therefore, someone whose relative’s yahrzeit falls during Hanukkah should go to the cemetery before the holiday begins.

What about the graves of tzaddikim?

According to the Ben Ish Chai, one may go and pray at the graves of the righteous even on Hanukkah.

He notes that in Baghdad there was a custom to visit the tomb of Yehoshua Kohen Gadol during the days of Hanukkah, on the eve of Rosh Chodesh.