Hanukkah and Christmas have made joint pop-culture appearances on sit-coms, cartoons and Hallmark specials.
And now, the two winter holidays are teaming up on the calendar.
The first of Hannukah's eight nights arrives this year on Dec. 25 - the same day when many around the country will be singing carols, donning ugly sweaters and chugging down eggnog for Christmas Day. It's a rare occasion: the two holidays haven't started on the same date since 2005, and won't do so again until 2035.
The origins of the two festivals could not be more different, with widely dissimilar backstories separated by almost two centuries. The Christian and Jewish faiths even operate on separate calendars.
But this year's rare conjunction will create a vibrant mingling of latkes and rum cake, glittery ornaments and last-minute shopping. At a time when the world seems dark and dreary, it seems appropriate that so many of us will be simultaneously pulled together for occasions that celebrate light.
Although Hanukkah is a minor Jewish holiday and shouldn't be mistaken for Judaism's version of Christmas, the events share some parallel themes, and the crossover of beloved celebrations offers an opportune moment to reflect on their common attributes.
For starters, there's the date: Both are observed on the 25th of the month: Christmas on Dec. 25 and Hannukah on the 25th of the month of Kislev, the ninth month in the lunisolar-based Hebrew calendar. Because that doesn't line up with the solar-based Gregorian calendar used by the modern West, Hanukkah tends to bounce around while Christmas stays put.
Both celebrations are observed in winter when the nights are their darkest and longest, and the need for joy in our lives the strongest.
Hanukkah means "rededication" in Hebrew, referring to the liberation and restoration of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The story dates back to about 175 B.C.E. when Israel was invaded by the Seleucid emperor, Antiochus IV, who outlawed Jewish practices and defiled the temple.
A small band of Jews called the Maccabees fought back and were victorious. They recaptured their temple, but when they went to relight a menorah, a ritual candelabra that was supposed to remain constantly burning, they found only enough pure oil for one day. Yet legend has it that a small flask somehow lasted a week and a day, enough time for more fuel to be found. In short, the holiday marks both a military and spiritual victory for religious freedom.
Christmas comes from the Old English phrase "Cristes Maesse," meaning "Christ's Mass." It is the one-day commemoration of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. According to the Gospel of Luke, when Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be counted for a census, they arrived at an inn that had no room and instead were offered space in a stable. That is where their child was born and placed in a manger, a trough used to feed livestock. According to the Bible, angels proclaimed the baby a savior for all, and three wise men arrived bearing gifts.
While the Georgian calendar used by Western nations assumes Christ was born in the year zero A.D., many scholars believe Jesus was more likely born between 6 and 4 B.C.E. It's also not clear he was actually born on Dec. 25, and some believe Christmas evolved out of the Pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice, Saturnalia.
More: Do you know the real story of the Nativity? Here's where our modern-day take comes from
There is only one acceptable spelling for Christmas ("Xmas" is sometimes used as an abbreviation, though some object to this abbreviation for "taking the Christ out of Christmas.") By contrast, there are several variations for the Jewish holiday, including "Chanukah," "Hanukkah" and "Hanukah." That's because the name is a transliteration - an approximation - of a Hebrew word into English.
Both holidays are typically celebrated with festive meals, family gatherings and exchanging gifts.
On Christmas, the tradition of decorating a tree began in 16th century Germany when devout followers brought trees into their homes. The practice was then popularized by Prince Albert in mid-19th century England. Martin Luther, the German father of Protestantism, is credited with adding candles to an evergreen tree to symbolize Jesus' role as the light of the world.
On Hanukkah, tradition calls for lighting a menorah in a window to spread holiday cheer and celebrate the miracle of the oil. Each night, a new candle is added to the menorah until eight burn on the final night. That's the origin of the holiday's nickname, the Festival of Lights.
Christmas carols are ubiquitous during this time of year and traditionally, carolers wander from door to door. The season is known for its beautiful music - though ironically a fair share of iconic Christmas songs were written by Jewish composers, including "White Christmas" (Irving Berlin), "Silver Bells" (Ray Evans and Jay Livingston) and "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Johnny Marks).
Among the most famous traditional Hannukah songs are "I have a little Dreidel," referring to a game that is played on the holiday with a spinning top, and "Light One Candle," by Peter, Paul and Mary. But the most popular Hanukkah tune today may be Adam Sandler's "The Chanukah Song" from "Saturday Night Live."
Both celebrations emphasize family gatherings with festive meals and unique foods. Hannukah has latkes, or potato pancakes, and other dishes fried in oil to commemorate the holiday's foundational miracle. Christmas meals traditionally include baked ham or turkey, candied yams and eggnog or, for more ambitious cooks, the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve.
Both seasons are an excuse to indulge in special pastries: Hanukkah feasts serve sufganiyot, or jelly doughnuts, while Christmas dinner has sugar cookies and fruitcake, to name just two of many variations from different cultures.
More: Taste holiday pastries from around the world at these North Jersey bakeries
Christmas has the Elf on a Shelf. Hanukkah has a Mensch on a Bench. Christmas has gingerbread houses; for Hanukkah, you can assemble a Manischewitz Chanukah Cookie House Kit with blue-and-white icing. Christmas has those notorious ugly sweaters and recently, so does Hanukkah.
A growing number of stores deck their shelves with cheesy holiday merchandise, not just for Christmas, but for Hanukkah too. Some merchants are so desperate to sell Hanukkah kitsch they are putting anything out there, like a plush blue and white Hannukah stocking decorated with stars of David, a blue and white Santa hat that proclaims "Oy Oy Oy," and a mug that says "Oy To the World."
While some Jews are grateful their holiday has earned a nod from the wider culture, others note the irony of imitating Christmas when Hanukkah celebrates a triumph over the forces of assimilation.
Gift-giving is a relatively modern innovation of both holidays and many Jews as well as Christians have complained in recent years that the emphasis on lavish presents and commercialism has obscured the true meaning of both events.
Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Jewish Bible (because the story happened after the Torah, the compendium of the Bible's first five books, was written.) But it is mentioned in the New Testament.
Jesus celebrated Hanukkah just as other Jews of his time did, according to the New Testament. The book of John mentions it: "At that time, the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon." So Jesus was not only in Jerusalem during Hanukkah, but he went to the very temple where the miracle of the oil is said to have taken place about two centuries earlier.
Some have attempted to merge the observance of the two events into a hybrid holiday: Chrismukkah. The coinage was popularized in the U.S. by the 2003 TV drama "The O.C.," when character Seth Cohen concocted it to symbolize his experience in an interfaith family.
But the concept initially cropped up in 19th century Germany, where it was called Weihnukka, a combination of the words "Weihnachten" (Christmas) and "Hannukkah."
The holiday overlap this year may pose a dilemma for interfaith families who would otherwise want to observe both holidays on their own. Others will easily combine them, with a menorah in the window and a tree in the corner. A 2021 Pew Research Center Survey conducted in the U.S. found that roughly 42% of married Jewish respondents said they have a partner of a different faith. Among Jews married since 2010, the rate is closer to 61%. Many of those families celebrate both holidays.
Jane Breskin Zalben of Long Island, the author and illustrator of over 50 children's books, recently published a tale that celebrates the overlap, "Gingerbread Dreidels." Two families of different faiths come together to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah: The Golds make latkes and applesauce, while the Feathers cook up sweet potato pudding and turkey, and then everyone shares stories about their respective holidays.
Zalben previously wrote a book about Rosh Hashanah and the Muslim holiday of Ramadan occupying the same day., which earned the Sydney Taylor Medal/ALA Jewish book award. She said she was motivated to write her latest because her son is in an interfaith relationship and his child celebrates both holidays.
"In a way, this is a peace book. We are living in a crazy unpredictable world. I feel like we need to have more tolerance toward each other," Zalben said. "The two holidays are about food, family, and tradition. This book is about having kindness and love and empathy for others who are different."
Two faith leaders in New Jersey believe the rare calendar connection should serve as a life lesson about forging friendships with people who are different.
Raphael Giglio, lead pastor of North Shore Fellowship in Monmouth County, said this year is "a unique opportunity to celebrate and declare peace on Earth and good will toward men. It would be wonderful for Jewish folks to invite a Christian friend to play dreidel and eat latkes and for Christians to welcome Jewish friends to join their family for their traditions."
"Our world is in dire need of light in what have been some very dark years," he said.
Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner of Temple Emanu-El in Closter sees an opportune time to take stock of our blessings and pray for those who have less.
"With the holidays colliding this year, it can remind us of unity, commonality and opportunity and our shared responsibility to lift up all souls and bring more light to our world," he said.
Deena Yellin covers religion for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering how the spiritual intersects with our daily lives, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: [email protected]/Twitter: @deenayellin