Thanksgivukkah

This is not a spelling mistake! Thanksgivukkah is a real word which has been recently coined. It's an amalgam (a combination of two words) created out of 'Thanksgiving' and 'Hanukkah'.

This year Thanksgiving coincided with Hanukkah, which is a traditional Jewish festival. It doesn't happen too often. It hasn't happened for the last 125 years and it won't happen again for the next 70,000  years! The term Thanksgivukkah was coined by Dana Gitell to sell T-shirts and other memorabilia in an online Jewish gift shop. There is even a Facebook fan page devoted to the festival with more than 13,000 likes. 

Over the years, many Jews have celebrated Thanksgiving in America together with Americans. For many Jews, Thanksgiving is kosher (that is it is allowed by Jewish laws concerning food). The traditional American celebration has always been associated with giving thanks for a new life in America, where all people could practise their religion freely.

Most online discussions about Thanksgivukkah are about the food recipes which combine the two traditions:

potato latkes

cranberry applesauce

rye pumpkin pie

potato latkes