As most of North America is bound to be aware, the day we choose to celebrate Jesus’ birth (at least since the 4^th century) is less than a week away.

Our Eastern Orthodox brethren wait a little longer – commemorating Christmas on January 7. But in between those dates, several other festivals of hope, peace, and joy are celebrated – many of them involving candles.

Hanukkah

The oldest, somewhat parallel, tradition we find in history is that of Hanukkah or Chanukkah, depending on who’s translating the Hebrew, חנוכה. Either spelling in English is acceptable (as are a couple other variations). Another name for the festival of lights is the Feast of Dedication or the Feast of the Maccabees. It commemorates the recovery of the holy city of Jerusalem and rededication of the Second Temple in the 2nd century.

Because the Jewish calendar does not directly correspond with our common Gregorian calendar, the dates can and do shift quite a bit every year. This year, Hanukkah begins at sundown on December 25^th (Hebrew days start at sundown, as described in Genesis – “there was evening, there was morning”). It will run for eight nights and days, ending on January 2, 2025.

Together with Rosh Hoshanah and Yom Kippur, it is one of the more well-known Jewish traditions, thanks in part to the candles.

The story goes that when the Maccabees recaptured the temple, there was only enough sacred oil to keep the Temple menorah lit for one day. But a miracle occurred and the oil burned for eight days, leaving enough time for new oil to be pressed and blessed. John 10 records the Festival in Jesus’ day.

Today, most families (and many cities) will put up a Menorah and light one candle per night to remember the events and God’s provision. In accordance with Hebrew methodology, the candles are lighted from right to left, with a ninth candle, the shamash, lighting the others.

Another popular aspect of Hanukkah, especially for children, is the spinning of the Dreidel, a top with Hebrew lettering on it. While it was apparently adapted from a gambling game, it was often a way to study the Torah, and it took on new meaning of diversion and solidarity during the Holocaust in World War II.

Advent

Advent is an early church practice that has now been adopted by much of the western world. You can buy Advent calendars with daily LEGOs or that track the fall of Hans Gruber in Die Hard.

The origins of this festival are a bit more holy. The earliest Christians didn’t necessarily celebrate Jesus’ birth as much as his resurrection, and the earliest Advent (from the Latin adventus) was actually looking forward with anticipation to Jesus’ coming back again to the world.

As we began marking late December as the Christ Mass, Advent shifted a bit – and became a season of preparation for Jesus’ birth. The original advent season was six weeks long and more closely paralleled the season of Lent. People fasted, prayed, and made penance. Over time, the season was cut to four weeks (although some Orthodox churches still do six), and became more of a celebration of hope, peace, love and light.

While not all Christian families use one, in 1839 Lutheran pastor Johann Hinrich Wichern created what some say was the first Advent wreath to help children at his mission school in Hamburg count down the days until Christmas. His wreath bore four large white candles, lit each Sunday, and 24 smaller daily candles.

Digging deeper, advent wreaths may date all the way back to the Middle Ages, and scholars say by 1600, both Lutherans and Catholics had specific, detailed practices around the candles and wreaths. That includes the modern practice of a wreath containing 4 purple, or 3 purple and one pink candle, for each Sunday. Sometimes a Christ Candle is also placed in the center and lit starting December 25.

Kwanzaa

A much more modern practice of holiday candle lighting is celebrated every year amongst members of the African-American community. While Kwanzaa is celebrated around Christmastime and has picked up some elements of holiday celebrations, it is considered a secular holiday.

In 1966, in the wake of the Los Angeles Watts riots where more than 30 people died, Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa to “give black people an opportunity to celebrate themselves and their history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society."

Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, or "first fruits," and is based on African harvest festival traditions. It can be celebrated as an alternative to Christmas or Hanukkah, but also as an additional celebration alongside the religious practices. Kwanzaa begins on December 26 and runs to January 1.

During the week-long celebration of Kwanzaa, seven candles are placed in the kinara — three red on the left, three green on the right, and a single black candle in the center, representing the Seven Principles (Nguzo Saba) of Kwanzaa. Red, green, and black are the symbolic colors of the holiday. The black candle symbolizes the African people, the red their struggle, and the green the future and hope that comes from that struggle.

You might have noticed a consistent message across all of these special days – one that connects them whether intended or not – to the central message of Christmas - HOPE. The hope we place in the promise of a better world tomorrow rings across all the practices, whether from our own struggles or that of trusting a sovereign God who knows how the story ends. So, hold to the hope, celebrate the joy, and remember the promises. There is more that unites us than divides us if we are willing to look deeper and reach out a hand.

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