This Thursday is not only Thanksgiving, but for our friends who are Jewish, it’s also the first full day and the second evening of Hanukkah. The meeting of these two holidays is being called Thanksgivukkah. How rare is it for these two holidays to meet this way? Well, it’s not going to happen for another 76-80,000 years or so.
The last time Thanksgiving and the first full day of Hanukkah shared the same date was 125 years ago and as I said, scientists say that it’s not going to happen again for another 79,043 years!
How does this happen? Well, Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday every November and doesn’t change from year to year. But then there’s the Jewish calendar that’s a little more complicated and by complicated, I mean that things change every year- a month here, a month there.
The Jewish calendar moves forward very slowly- about four days every thousand years so that’s why it’ll take 70 to 80 thousand years before Thanksgiving and Hanukkah meet again.
Click here to learn more about the science behind this rare holiday mash-up of Thanksgiving & Hanukkah on NationalGeographic.com!
Impress your family this holiday with the FUN science behind your favorite holiday foods!
Looking for even more FUN ways to celebrate?
Buzzfeed’s got a mouth-watering Thanksgivukkah menu, for starters, and this Thanksgivukkah Pinterest board can keep you occupied for hours.
Parents.com offers some fun Hanukkah crafts and recipes for the whole family, and a wealth of activities, crafts, and recipes for Thanksgiving. And don’t miss these Thanksgiving Printables!
