Thanksgivingukkah Gives Opportunities For Extreme Culinary Mash-ups.

If retail shopping has told us anything it’s that the holiday season is quickly heading our way.  This year there is a rare, but spectacular collision of holidays that can easily lead to culinary mash-up masterpieces.  This year, in an instance of serendipitous holiday happenstance, the 8 day Jewish holiday, Hanukkah—also known as the festival of lights—falls right in line with the US holiday of Thanksgiving.  For Jews celebrating state side this is creating a rare holiday being called Thanksgivingukkah.  While Hanukkah officially begins this year on November 27^th, Thanksgiving is right there on the 28^th, giving those who celebrate both festivities are in for a rare treat. According to numerous sources, the last time this fortuitous convergence happened was back in 1888.  By that same math, the next Thanksgivingukkah is not due for another 79,043 years.

The Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar that works from a month that is either 29 or 30 days long which causes the Jewish year to be shorter than the 365-day year by about 11 days. This causes the Jewish holidays to float around each year on the Gregorian calendar.  In an attempt to keep things in line, the Jewish calendar adds an extra month seven times every 19 years.  The math can get very complicated, but what’s NOT complicated is the exciting building around this one in a lifetime opportunity to enjoy both Hanukkah and Thanksgiving at the same time.  The culinary community, in particular, has been exploding with recipes that blend traditional Hanukkah dishes with Thanksgiving classics.

Sweet potato Latkes and mashed potato latkes have both made an appearance on the short list along with fried turkeys and horseradish cranberry sauce.  While the culinary explorations abound, it’s also important to take note of the fitting nature of Hanukkah falling on the holiday that is intended to celebrate the pilgrim’s journey to achieve religious freedoms.  Even if you don’t celebrate Hanukkah, we would love to hear your favorite Thanksgiving traditions or something new you’re planning that may very well become a tradition in the future.

We, here, at Fiumara Apparel cherish all of the family holidays.  Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or whether you prefer to forgo any formal celebration and just gather with those you love best. From our family to yours we wish you the very best this season.