Hannukah Paper

Hanukkah: A Jewish Holy Day

Daniela Delgadillo

Rel/134

April 28, 2014

Rick Francis

Hanukkah: A Jewish Holy Day

To a Catholic person (like myself) with no real information about Hanukkah, Hanukkah simply meant Jewish Christmas. The term Jewish Christmas could not be more wrong. For Christians, Christmas is a day of celebration and dedication to the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. However, many people that are non-religious and simply take Jesus’s birth (Christmas) as a day of gift giving. Hanukkah has its own historical importance to the Jewish people; the long eight-day celebration of Hanukkah (also known as The Jewish Festival of Lights) came to be from a miracle. There are many Jewish Holy Days but Hanukkah is the most known holy day of them all by non- Jews. Hanukkah has some describing variables, which include the time of year, the historical origin, religious practices and cultural differences between different branches of Judaism.

Time of Year

Hanukkah always begins on the 25th day of the month Kislev. Kislev is the third month in the Hebrew Calendar. On the Gregorian calendar (which is what most of the world uses), Hanukkah may start any time during late November to late December ("Chanukah", 2014). Most Americans with no information about Jewish religion or holidays simply know that Hanukkah begins in the winter and close to Christmas time. This past year (2013), in the United States Hanukkah began the same day as Thanksgiving; this joint celebration known to the world as Thanksgivukkah. In an interview for the Star Tribune Rabbi Avi Olitzky (2013) stated, “It’s really special to have the opportunity to celebrate both, and when the two become one, you have to work extra hard to make sure that one doesn’t become shortchanged,” Olitzky said. “I think you remember the principals of both. … For Thanksgiving it’s a focus on freedom and our pride as Americans, and for Hanukkah it’s a focus on freedom and our pride as Jews.” These two celebrations...