Hanukkah and Christmas fall on the same date this year.
This year marks the fifth time over the last 114 years Hanukkah has started on the same day as Christmas. It won’t happen again until 2035.
Sometimes called Christmukkah, Dec. 25 marks the day when the first day of Hanukkah falls on the same day as Christmas. The day has been called a lighthearted holiday to bring groups together.
When does Hanukkah start in 2024?
The first day of Hanukkah this year starts Wednesday, Dec. 25, Christmas Day.
The eight-day Festival of Lights runs from sundown Wednesday through Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025
When is Christmas 2024?
Christmas is always celebrated on Dec. 25. This year, the holiday falls in the middle of the week, on Wednesday.
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What is Christmukkah?
Christmukkah — sometimes spelled Chrismukkah — is a combination celebration that occurs when Hanukkah is celebrated in conjunction with Christmas. Or, in a rare case, it marks the first day of Hanukkah occurring on the same day as Christmas.
While Christmukkah can be a lighthearted holiday to bring groups together, some have acknowledged the commercialization of the fake holiday.
Why do the dates of Hanukkah, or Chanukah, change every year?
Hanukkah can begin as early as Nov. 28 or as late as Dec. 27, depending on the year, according to Reader’s Digest.
Hanukkah changes dates every year — in the Gregorian calendar used by most of the world — because it is based on the Hebrew calendar.
The Jewish calendar is a lunar-solar calendar. Every month is a lunar month, with the first day being the new moon, said Rabbi Larry Milder for Building Jewish Bridges.
Hanukkah always occurs on the 25th day of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar.
How often do Christmas and the first day of Hanukkah happen on the same day?
The last time Christmas and the first day of Hanukkah happened on the same day was in 2005.
Over the last 100 years, it’s happened four times: in 2005, 1959, 1921 and 1910, according to The Jerusalem Post. This year, 2024, marks the fifth time over 114 years the two dates have coincided.
When will be the next time Hanukkah starts on same day as Christmas?
Christmas and the first day of Hanukkah will line up in 2035, then again in 2054, according to Hebcal, a Jewish calendar and holiday website.
What is Hanukkah?
Hanukkah is an eight-day festival of lights, celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods, according to Chabad.org.
It commemorates a miracle that took place in 165 B.C., when a one-day supply of oil used to light the menorah and rededicate the Second Temple of Jerusalem actually lasted eight days, when new oil could be prepared under purification rituals.
Is it Hanukkah or Chanukah?
Hanukkah is the most widely used spelling, while Chanukah is more traditional.
How do you pronounce Hanukkah?
The word is pronounced as kha-nu-kah.
Contributors: James Powel, Deena Yellin, USA Today Network
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Hanukkah 2024: Christmas, Jewish holiday on same day
