This year, the first night of Hanukkah falls on the same day as Christmas for the first time since 2005.
Christmas and Hanukkah both always fall on the 25th, but fall in two different months. Christmas falls on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar and Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev in the Jewish calendar.
The start date of Hanukkah on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year, because the Jewish calendar is based on luni-solar calendar cycles. According to Chabad, the months under the Hebrew calendar follow a lunar cycle, lasting approximately 354 days. To avoid falling behind the approximately 365-day solar calendar, every few years there is a 13th month on the Jewish calendar that constitutes a ‘leap year’.
Another difference is that on the Jewish calendar, the holidays begin at sunset and continue until the next day. This year, Hannukah, which lasts eight days, begins hours after the start of Christmas.
According to the Jewish Federations of North America, Hanukkah and Christmas have coincided only a handful of times since 1900. They started on the same day in 1910, 1921, 1959 and 2005. Rabbi Joshua Stanton, vice president of interfaith initiatives for Jewish Federations of North America, sees it as an opportunity to learn, collaborate and be together.
“The goal is not to proselytize; it is deep learning from each other,” Stanton told CBS News in a statement. “It is others who see you as you see yourself.”
Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, said he sees the convergence of holidays as an opportunity to appreciate the diverse religious landscape in the U.S.
“This is something we have learned we must work hard to protect, especially in times of rising anti-Semitism and other forms of hate,” Hauer told CBS News in an email.
The convergence of holidays also presents unique opportunities and challenges for interfaith families. Some people celebrate what is known as “Chrismukkah,” a name derived from the overlap of the holidays made popular by the television series “The OC.”
“I think that, especially as Hanukkah is seen as a kind of Jewish Christmas, we’re seeing more and more interest in how they correspond with each other. Both holidays are interested in light and in God’s presence in dark times. Candida Moss, professor of theology at the University of Birmingham, told CBS News 24/7 “And this, of course, presents a huge opportunity for interfaith families to celebrate both traditions side by side.”
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism, said he believes each holiday should be given its due credit, rather than being mixed together, “because I think that is detrimental to the uniqueness of each holiday. “
“But proximity can actually lead us to understand more, appreciate more about those who are part of a different faith, and allow us to create more light in what is often a very dark time of year,” Jacobs said. to CBS News 24/7.
According to Hebcal, the two holidays will coincide again in 2035 and 2054.
It is also rare for Chanukah to begin on Christmas Eve. It has happened twice in the past fifty years: in 1978 and in 2016.
