This year, the 8-day Jewish celebration of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, begins at sunset on Wednesday, December 25, or Christmas Day to the Christian faith.
This overlap, which has not occurred in almost two decades, gives rise to a celebration these days known as ‘Chrismukkah’, a term popularised by the character Seth Cohen from the American TV series The O.C.
Cohen, who in the series was growing up in an inter-religious home, sought to maximise his family’s festive fun by combining both celebrations.
Hanukkah’s date varies every year, while Christmas remains fixed
Hanukkah’s start date always varies each year because the Jewish calendar is based on luni-solar calendar cycles. According to Chabad, months under the Hebrew calendar follow a lunar cycle, lasting about 354 days, rather than Christian-based societies who follow the now globally-used Roman calendar.
Chrismukkah refers to the rare coincidence that the first night of Hanukkah falls on Christmas Day. This phenomenon has not happened since 2005, and only 5 times since 1900. The first time the term ‘Chrismukkah’ was used was just 20 years ago, and this year greetings cards and festive decorations in some households have begun to acknowledge the celebration as a thing.
Chrismukkah can be traced back to 19th century
While these days the idea of fusing Hanukkah and Christmas celebrations can be attributed to the US TV show, its real origins date back to the 19th century when German Jews, some of whom were becoming increasingly drawn into mainstream German Christian culture, adopted Christmas traditions in a more secular way and on occasion celebrated the two festivals at the same time.
