Thanksgivukkah

Today is both Thanksgiving and the first day of Hanukkah. Apparently it’s about another seventy-nine thousand years until this will happen again.

Upon learning this, I envisaged that this year’s bash will be particularly great. But then I realised, I could not have told you why. I could not be more ashamed of the fact that when asked what Thanksgiving is actually about, all that comes to mind is the loveable Joey Tribbiani with a turkey on his head. I’d like to say my concept of Hanukkah was clearer, but I just think of Ross Geller dressed as the Holiday Armadillo, and so I’d be lying. In case you haven’t already guessed, I’m not American or Canadian. I’m from the north of England. I’m not Jewish either. Having spoken to my fellow naïve ones about what they associated with these celebrations, there was the common vague consensus of “It’s just like an American Christmas, isn’t it?”

These blurred lines just aren’t good enough in such a geographically diverse university as ours. I’m here to try and dispel the unawareness of, well, in my case, the ignorant Brit. Not only will this year’s coincidence give an extra reason to celebrate for those in the know, but also for people like me, who as a result have become a little more conscious of the culture that so many of the students here are quite rightly so proud of.

So, my research has told me that I would be wrong to talk about them as one celebration for they are significant for distinct reasons, yet they do have a religious line connecting them historically. Hanukkah is an eight day Jewish festival that can occur depending on the Hebrew calendar from late November to late December. What is commemorated is the way in which the Jewish Maccabees managed to reclaim their temple from the Syrian army in Jerusalem.

Thanksgiving does have religious roots but is ultimately a national holiday celebrated regardless of belief in the name of giving thanks (how appropriate) for the blessing of the harvest of the year that’s just gone. It always occurs on the third Thursday of November (unless you’re Canadian – then it’s the second Monday of October).The English especially should know more about it than they do, since it has roots in the Protestant Reformation, making our ignorance even more inexcusable.

Neither of the American friends I spoke to is wholly Jewish, admitting that the convergence of the two this year is perhaps not such a big thing for them as it would be for others. They had nonetheless, on a lighter side note, heard that there will be turkey shaped menorahs.

It was, however, the profound personal dimension to Thanksgiving that they both spoke of with such poignancy that could never have been disclosed to me by a Wikipedia page. One of them described how each of her family members takes a turn to say something that they are thankful for. For her, Thanksgiving is a very emotional time – admittedly making my previously historical, factual approach look shamefully shallow.

Both agreed that the agricultural aspect was pretty much redundant nowadays, at least for their families anyhow.Upon reflection, today will undoubtedly be a time where St Andrews feels that little bit too far from home for some. I hope you are comforted by the thought that there are a lot of us here that would love to serve as your honorary family. I will most certainly be dragging my friends to the in-hall celebrations! What I am thankful for at this current moment as I type, is the spectacular cosmopolitanism of this town.

Have a happy, happy Hanukkah and Thanksgiving!

Image courtesy of pjlibrary.org