Chrismukkah
Chrismukkah is a newly minted word which best describes a holiday celebration that combines elements of both Christmas and Hanukkah.
This is especially true in the case of households that have both Christian and Jewish members. Hanukkah is a transliteration of a Hebrew word and has many spelling variations ranging from Hanukkah and Chanukah to Hanukah and Chrismukkah (a combination of Christmas and Hanukkah) which has gained a lot of popularity in the last few years and lexicographers have even added it to some dictionaries. While Chrismukkah is not mentioned formally as a holiday in any calendar it is still a celebration that commemorates the festivals of both Christmas and Hanukkah.
The concept
Every year more than 2.5 million parents and children in Jewish-Christian families in the USA pass through this mental turmoil and the desire to venerate both religions without disrespect to either. The years when the days of Hanukkah overlap with Christmas, the challenge becomes even greater. The families who have members of both communities believe that Chrismukkah is a celebration of what they have in common and not what makes them different, it is a state of mind that people adopt during the festive season celebrating a multi-cultural holiday and exulting in the muddle of cross cultural festivities.
The beginning
Chrismukkah first gained popularity in December 2003 when it appeared in the FOX television program The O.C. In the program, a character has a Jewish father and a protestant mother and their family celebration gave birth to this new concept which caught the public imagination and almost created a pop culture in that season. Since then it has gone from strength to strength and now around three million people in USA celebrate the birth of Jesus, the son of God, and Hanukkah which celebrates the recommitment of the ancient Temple after a successful revolt by the Maccabees.
How to celebrate
Many families choose to concentrate on ceremonies and symbols without giving importance to the religious background while others focus on the commercial aspects of giving Christmas presents or Hanukkah gifts. Some people like to combine the holidays into one so that they can celebrate both under one roof.
In 2008, Hanukkah, starts at sundown on Sunday December 21 and last 8 days..
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