Hanukkah and Christmas coincide for the first time since 2005
This year, the first night of Hanukkah will align with Christmas Day, marking the first overlap since 2005. Such a convergence occurs approximately five times per century due to differences between the Jewish lunar calendar and the Gregorian solar calendar.
Hanukkah, the festival of lights, begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, which follows a lunar calendar of about 354 days, compared to the Gregorian calendar's 365 days. This variation causes Hanukkah to shift 11 days earlier each year. However, periodic leap years in the Jewish calendar add a 13th month to realign the holidays with their traditional seasons.
The holiday commemorates the miracle of light that occurred when Judah rededicated the Temple of Jerusalem to the Hebrew god. Central to the celebration is the nightly lighting of the menorah, with one additional candle lit each evening to mark the eight days of the holiday. The menorah symbolises the miracle of a single day’s supply of oil lasting eight days in the Temple. The lighting ritual is often accompanied by prayers, blessings, and traditional songs. The word Hanukkah means "dedication."
Hanukkah has started on 25 December five times since 1900: in 1910, 1921, 1959, 2005 and now in 2024. This year, Hanukkah will begin at sundown on 25 December, a few hours after the start of Christmas Day, and will last until 2 January, 2025.
According to Hebcal, a Jewish calendar resource, the two holidays will coincide again in 2035 and 2054.
Menorah fully lit in Czech Republic © PHOTO PATRIK UHLIR / CTK
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