Thanksgiving And Hanukkah: Unusual Holiday Partners

For the first time in 125 years, Thanksgiving and the first full day of Hanukkah are coinciding, creating what some are calling a hybrid "Thanksgivukkah" holiday.

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, began at sundown Wednesday. The first full day of the eight-day Jewish holiday is Thursday, which is alsoThanksgiving.

Hanukkah usually falls in December, closer to Christmas.

However, according to a story in the International Business Times, the holiday slid back to late November this year due to a "self correction" in the 12-month Jewish calendar that occurs every 19 years or so.

In addition, Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday of November, is late this year because Nov. 1 fell on a Friday.

The first day of Hanukkah last landed on Thanksgiving in 1888. This isn't expected to happen again at least 2070, if ever again.

In 1899, the fourth day of Hanukkah was also Thanksgiving. In 1918, Hanukkah began at sunset on Thanksgiving Day.

This year's combination has given Jewish families extra reason to celebrate and some are taking advantage of it.

There are families decorating their homes with turkey menorahs known as "menurkies" and dreidals decorated with birds known as "turkels."

In addition, both holidays center on food, making a mash of the holidays a little easier. Some Jewish families are having potato pancakes on Thursday evening instead of mashed potatoes, for example.

In San Francisco's Union Square, a 20-foot-tall menorah was lit at 5 p.m. Wednesday as part of a nearly 40-decade tradition.

The Bill Graham Menorah has been shining a light on San Francisco every Hanukkah since 1975 in partnership with the local Chabad organization.

Bill Graham was a Jewish San Francisco-based music promoter, who left behind a legacy of community-oriented performances and shows after his death in 1991. The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in the Civic Center neighborhood is named for him.

Event organizer Billy Cohen, who produced shows with Graham decades ago, said a whole lineup of Hanukkah events is scheduled at Union Square and beyond through the last night of the holiday on Dec. 4.

Cohen said "it's kind of a fun coincidence" to have the two holidays merge and it creates a "good opportunity to be reflective."

The menorah will be lit each night at Union Square until next week. On the last night of the holiday, Dec. 4, grand menorah lighting will take place under the fourth-floor dome nearby Westfield Shopping Centre on Market Street.

The free event, which is open to the public, features family-friendly festivities including dreidel spinning, holiday treats, arts and crafts and a performance by Jewish blues musician Saul Kaye.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.