Show Merry Christmas Christinas Or Happy Merry Christmas for some is Happy Hanukkah for others TilE THE ORIGIN is religious in both cases The Christmas season season sea sea- son when Christians celebrate the birth of Christ generally coincides with the Hanukkah season which is the Jewish Feast of Lights or Feast of Dedication Hanukkah also spelled Chanukah Chanukah Chanukah Chan- Chan is a Hebrew word which means dedication It begins on the eve of the day of the Hebrew month of and lasts eight days This year it begins Monday Dec 16 DURING Hanukkah World Book Encyclopedia explains gifts are exchanged Each evening one additional candle is lighted on the Hanukkah menora candelabra By the last evening eight lighted candles candles candles can can- stand together The books of the 1 tell the story of Hanukkah In B B. B C C. C after a year three-year struggle the Jews in Judea defeated the Syrian tyrant They held festivities in the Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to God AFTER CLEANSING the Temple of Syrian idols they found only one small cruse of oil to light their holy lamps But miraculously the cruse provided oil for eight days Judas the Jewish leader then proclaimed a festival to be observed by Jews IT IS STILL being ed cd |