The main difference between Christmas and Hanukkah is that Christmas is a Christian festival that falls on 25th of December while Hanukkah is a Jewish festival that falls on 25th Kislev.
Christmas and Hannukah are two major religious holidays celebrated at the end of the year. Christmas falls on the 25th of December while Hanukkah falls on any date during late November to late December owing to the Jewish calendar. We celebrate both festivals with lights, family, food, and gifts.
Key Areas Covered
1. What is Christmas
– Definition, Traditions
2. What is Hanukkah
– Definition, Traditions
3. What is the Difference Between Christmas and Hanukkah
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
Christmas, Hanukkah
What is Christmas
Christmas is the annual Christian festival celebrating Christ’s birth. Christmas falls on the 25th of December. It’s a public holiday in most countries of the world and is celebrated religiously by the majority of Christians, as well as culturally by some non-Christians. Therefore, we can consider it as a both religious and cultural celebration.
In the past, Christmas was not actually celebrated as a single day, but as a whole season, beginning with the 24th of December, the Christmas Eve. In fact, Christmas means “Christ-mass.” Modern Christmas involve many symbols and traditions. Some popular traditions include gift exchange, Christmas card exchange, Christmas mass, special Christmas meal, viewing of Nativity plays, carolling, and special Christmas decorations. These decorations involve Christmas trees, Christmas lights, mistletoe, holly, and garlands, and nativity scenes. Moreover, Santa Clause is a famous figure we also associate with Christmas.
What is Hanukkah
Hanukkah is a Jewish festival that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. The Hebrew word for Hanukkah is Chanukah, which means “dedication.” We also call Hanukkah the festival of lights. All in all, Hanukkah is one of the most popular Jewish religious observances.
This festival is celebrated for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev (the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar). That means it can fall on any date from late November to late December. Jews observe this festival by lighting the candles of a menorah, a candelabrum with nine branches. Each night, one candle is lit using the shamash until all eight candles are lit together on the final night of the festival. A menorah is lit in every house and placed in a doorway or window. Other festivities include playing the game of dreidel and eating oil-based foods, such as latkes (potato pancakes) and latkes (potato pancakes).
Difference Between Christmas and Hanukkah
Definition
Christmas is the annual Christian festival celebrating Christ’s birth on the 25th of December while Hanukkah is a Jewish festival that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire
Religion
While Christmas is a Christian festival, Hannukah is a Jewish festival.
Celebration
Furthermore, Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ while Hannukah commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire.
Time
Christmas falls on 25th of December while Hanukkah can fall on any date during late November to late December.
Food
Food items like roasted meat, Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, and eggnogs are popular during Christmas. During Hanukkah, people eat foods cooked in oil. Some traditional food includes latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly-filled doughnuts), sweet and savoury kugels, brisket, and tzimmes, a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish stew.
Traditions
Some popular Christmas traditions include exchange of gifts and Christmas cards, church service, special Christmas meal, viewing of Nativity plays, carolling, and special Christmas decorations like Christmas tree. The most important custom during Hanukkah is the lighting of the menorah.
Conclusion
Christmas is a Christian festival celebrating the birth of the Christ while Hannukah is a Jewish festival commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. Christmas falls on 25th of December while Hanukkah can fall on any date during late November to late December. Thus, this is the difference between Christmas and Hanukkah.
Reference:
1. “What Is Hanukkah?” Chabad.org, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Christmas tree, traditional decor, home, view, rural, decor, Xmas, winter, festive, ornament, tradition” (CC0) via Pickpik
2. “Hanuka-Menorah-by-Gil-Dekel-2014” By 39james – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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