Double holidays a rare event for Christmas, Hanukkah in 2024

On By Littum

For only the fifth time in more than 100 years, Christmas Day and the first night of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, fall on the same day.

While Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are always the same dates, December 24 and 25, the dates for Hanukkah change each year.

The reason for the different dates is that the Jewish calendar is based on a lunar cycle, rather than the secular Gregorian calendar. So in some years, the eight-day festival may start on Thanksgiving or even on New Year’s Day.

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The previous years that the holidays fell on the same day were 1910, 1921, 1959 and 2005. It won’t happen again until 2027, according to the calendar dates.

For 2024, Hanukkah starts on Christmas Day and ends on January 2nd, meaning that families who celebrate both holidays get both joyous traditions and added New Year’s celebrations during the same eight-day stretch.

While families all have different ways they celebrate the holiday, there are certain things Hanukkah has in common.

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Families celebrating the festival typically light what is called a Chanukiah or Menorah, a multi-stemmed candelabra. There are nine candle locations, with a new one lit each night, although the first night actually starts with two candles.

One candle represents the night of the holiday, one through eight, while the ninth is meant to be used as a “helper” candle or Shamash (shaw-MOSH).

The holiday itself in Hebrew means “consecration”, which marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after it had been freed from an invading force.

The lighting symbolizes a miracle of the holiday of old, when tradition says that the Jews needed enough oil to light a candelabra in a destroyed temple, but the oil burned for eight nights instead.

For the holidays now, when families light the Menorah, they place it so the candle can be seen from the windows to spread to the world.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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