The Malta Independent on Sunday
St Margaret College Senior Secondary School Verdala students talk about Christmas and Hanukkah and seek a common meaning
Kurt Azzopardi Kristina Falzon Leon Buttigieg In preparation for Christmas, a group of students from St Margaret College Senior Secondary School were invited by their teacher Martin Azzopardi sdc to make a project about the Christian celebration of Christmas and the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah which is both celebrated during the same season. Students did a research about the meaning of these two annual celebrations and reflected upon what Christmas and Hanukkah got in common.
Christmas is an annual Christian celebration commemorating the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ which happened 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem and is commonly observed on 25 December. Christmas is preceded by the season of Advent – four weeks of preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ through charity, prayer, fast, sacrifice and good deeds. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries of the world and is celebrated religiously by Christians and culturally observed by many non-Christians too. In many countries, during Christ- mas Eve, Christians gather in churches to celebrate the Christmas Holy Mass while singing carols. In Malta, on Christmas Eve the Society of Christian Doctrine organise the traditional Baby Jesus Procession round the towns and villages and before Christmas Eve’s Holy Mass the sermon of the child is held – both typically Christmas Maltese customs.
As Christians celebrate Christ- mas, Jews all round the world celebrate Hanukkah − the festival of Lights, remembering the rededication of the second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. This happened in the 160s BC when Israel was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks) who tried to force the people of Israel to accept Greek pagan culture and beliefs instead of Jewish customs and to believe in one God. Then a group of courageous faithful Jews, led by Judah the Maccabee, defeated and drove the Greeks from the land of Israel, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of God. When they sought to light the Temple’s Menorah (the seven-branched candelabrum), they found only a single cruse of olive oil that had escaped contamination by the Greeks. 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 Jewish ritual purity.
The Hebrew word Hanukkah means dedication and during this year, Hanukkah was celebrated between 12 and 20 December. Normally, Hanukkah lasts for eight days and starts on the 25th of Kislev, the month in the Jewish calendar that occurs at about the same time as December.
During Hanukkah, on each of the eight nights, a candle is lit in a special menorah (candelabra) called a hanukkiyah. There is a special ninth candle called the shammash or servant candle which is used to light the other candles. Traditionally candles are lit from left to right and a special blessing, thanking God is said before or after lighting the candles and a special Jewish hymn is often sung. The menorah is put in the front window of Jewish houses so that passers-by can see the lights and remember the story of Hanukkah.
What do Christmas and Hanukkah have in common?
Jesus Christ can be compared with the servant candle used on Hanukkah as He lights our way and ignite us with His Spirit to shine His light in a dark world. Also the Jewish miracle of light reminds us of Jesus, whom the prophets predicted Him to be: “a light to the Gentiles” whose salvation would reach “to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).
Finally, the common theme that links Hanukkah and Christmas is the belief that God is with us − Emmanuel. As God was present with His people of Israel against the evil pagan King Antiochus (who desecrated the Temple of Jerusalem) so God is present with us through His incarnate Son Jesus Christ who saves us from evil and sin. The authors are students at St Margaret College Senior Secondary School Verdala, Cospicua