What Christmas & Hanukkah
Have In Common
Christmas and Hanukkah were celebrated at the same time only four times, in the last one hundred years. The last time, was in 1959, when Hanukkah fell on December 25th, Christmas Day. The reason for this phenomenon is that they share different calendars. While the Jewish calendar counts the days that follow the lunar cycle, most of the rest of the world follows the Gregorian calendar, which was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in October 1582.
The reasons and history behind Jesus Christ’s birthday falling on December 25th, which is why Christmas is celebrated on that day, is full of mystery, since no one knows when he was actually born. His date of birth is not mentioned anywhere in The New Testament. His baptism as an adult was first mentioned at around 65 C.E. in the Evangelist gospel of St. Mark. Since then, there have been other speculations, but choosing the date December 25th has a different basis. During the time of Ancient Rome, the Pagans there celebrated the holiday Saturnalia, between December 17 – 25. In the fourth century C.E., Christianity imported the Saturnalia festival hoping to take the Pagan masses in with it. Since there was nothing Christian about Saturnalia, the leaders of the church proclaimed December 25th to be Jesus’ birthday.
I found this legendary information online, as well as other legends about the reasons Jews celebrate Hanukkah, which commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 167 B.C.E. According to the tradition, Jews had risen up against the Greek Syrian oppressors led by the Maccabean brothers. It is called the Festival of Light because of a miracle that took place. After entering the Temple, Jews discovered that the oil needed to light the Menorah was damaged and only one vessel survived. It was supposed to last for one day, and instead it lasted eight days. As a result, there is a tradition to light a special candelabra called a Hanukiah, which nowadays appears in various forms, as long as there are eight light holders, plus one more, called the shamash. Candles replaced oil in the majority of them. The ninth candle, the shamash is the server to light the rest of the candles; one light a day, adding one more every day until all nine are lit on the last day. With both Christmas and Hanukkah there is a lot of light. In the center of San Francisco in Union Square a huge Christmas tree stands next to big Hanukiah. And yes, there something else they both have in common – presents, a lot of them. For some of you one of them could be my photo story book “42 Encounters in San Francisco”. Some of my readers have bought twenty books to give as gifts to their friends and relatives. The good thing about the book is that it can be a gift for other celebrations as well, and this is what all the holidays have in common. To find out what makes this book special, just go to Amazon.com and read the reviews and then order one (or a few), as long as supply lasts.
Enjoy and Share on Facebook.
P.S. There are a number of reasons why holidays, which bring light into the darkness, take place in the winter. One of them is so that I can take photos and to share them with you.
P.P.S.
My daughter Tamar, who edits my stories, suggested the following:
“If you would like to share this with your readers, there’s a great song from The Stephen Colbert Christmas Special, which aired in 2008, called Can I Interest You in Hannukah.
Do Not Keep Me As A Secret!
Smile And Please SHARE It With A Friend!
Cheers,
