Chanukah’s 8-day celebration and lighting of menorah begins this year on Christmas

Celebrations and traditions abound during December, and this year the first day of the Jewish holiday Chanukah and the Christian holiday Christmas both fall on Dec. 25.

During the past 100 years, it’s happened only four times: in 2005, 1959, 1921 and 1910, according to The Jerusalem Post. This year marks the fifth time over 114 years the two dates have coincided.

Rhabbi Levi Gerlitzky at the Chabad Jewish Center in Kona, explained that Chanukah, another spelling of Hanukkah, is about commemorating the miracles that occurred after the people of Israel reclaimed their Holy Temple in Jerusalem from Syrian Greeks in the second century BCE (Before Christian Era).

“This is a holiday of kindling that fire within us when we feel like there’s no hope,” Gerlitzky said.

The community is invited to a public lighting of the menorah, a seven-branched candelabrum, which will take place on Sunday at the Lanihau Shopping Center in Kona by Famous Footwear. There will be entertainment, crafts and prizes, along with latkes (potato pancake) and donuts.

Click here for Chanukah events on Hawai‘i Island.

“For the whole world, Chanukah can be a universal holiday,” Joel Caplan said.

He added Chanukah, known as the festival of lights, is symbolic for a time of year when “we need to call upon the light.”

Because of how late Hanukkah is occurring this year, the eight days of Hanukkah will stretch into January, also overlapping with the Gregorian calendar’s New Year.

The Hebrew calendar is different from the Gregorian calendar, which is the primary dating system of the Western world.

Caplan, who lives in Pāhoa, visits Kona every weekend for the Sabbath. This year he’s been busy passing out menorahs to people in his community.

“Throughout the holiday we try to light menorahs wherever we can,” Caplan said. “Chanukah is a holiday for the home.”

According to Chabad.org, when the Jewish people went to light the temple’s menorah, they found a single cruse (earthenware pot) of olive oil.

“Miraculously, they lit the menorah and the one-day supply of oil lasted for eight days until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity,” the website explained.

According to Chabad.org, the menorah holds nine flames, one of which is the shamash (“attendant”), which is used to kindle the other eight lights. On the first night, we light just one flame. On the second night, an additional flame is lit.

By the eighth night of Chanukah, all eight lights are kindled. Caplan said the number eight is symbolic. With each day, the growing of each light, it awakens people’s minds and consciousness.

“Chanukah restores our faith that light wins over darkness,” Caplan said.

“The Jewish religion is very old just like the Hawaiian culture is very old,” Caplan said. “A lot of old cultures struggle to keep their wisdom alive.”

Caplan said there is a parallel between the Hawaiian culture wanting to pass on its tradition and the Jewish faith passing on its same wisdom so that it can enrich people’s lives and with the creator.

Because of how late Hanukkah is occurring this year, the eight days of the celebration will stretch into January, also overlapping with the Gregorian calendar’s New Year.