Hanukah is better than Christmas

[officer2002]

Christmas is not timed at the season of the event; Hanukah (to the best of my knowledge is). Jesus was born in spring. The day of Christmas was picked by a Roman Emperor because is is the birthday of Murthra. Murthra was a God of the people who Rome had conquered and so to unite the empire they had a Holiday on the day when these other people were already having a birthday party.

Christmas has been excessively commercialized; Hanukah hasn't. Society pressures people to buy the most expensive toy for thier kids(whether they can afford it or not). I do not see how that is worshipful of The Savior.

The symbols of Christmas (Santa, Frosty, etc) do relate to a divine birth; Hanukah still has set of candles like the one that would not go out about 2000 years ago.

I do not see a Biblical basis for Christmas. I do not see a Biblical basis for 1 day of the year as a special day; I do see a Biblical basis for 1 day of the week as a special day.

[Hespera]

Christmas is not timed at the season of the event; Hanukah (to the best of my knowledge is). Jesus was born in spring. The day of Christmas was picked by a Roman Emperor because is is the birthday of Murthra. Murthra was a God of the people who Rome had conquered and so to unite the empire they had a Holiday on the day when these other people were already having a birthday party.

Christmas has been excessively commercialized; Hanukah hasn't. Society pressures people to buy the most expensive toy for thier kids(whether they can afford it or not). I do not see how that is worshipful of The Savior.

The symbols of Christmas (Santa, Frosty, etc) do relate to a divine birth; Hanukah still has set of candles like the one that would not go out about 2000 years ago.

I do not see a Biblical basis for Christmas. I do not see a Biblical basis for 1 day of the year as a special day; I do see a Biblical basis for 1 day of the week as a special day.

People like Christmas. They like it in Hong Kong and they like in in New York.

And YOU are just trying to be tiresome.

ps coke is better than pepse, so there/

[byofrcs]

Christmas is not timed at the season of the event; Hanukah (to the best of my knowledge is). Jesus was born in spring. The day of Christmas was picked by a Roman Emperor because is is the birthday of Murthra. Murthra was a God of the people who Rome had conquered and so to unite the empire they had a Holiday on the day when these other people were already having a birthday party.

Christmas has been excessively commercialized; Hanukah hasn't. Society pressures people to buy the most expensive toy for thier kids(whether they can afford it or not). I do not see how that is worshipful of The Savior.

The symbols of Christmas (Santa, Frosty, etc) do relate to a divine birth; Hanukah still has set of candles like the one that would not go out about 2000 years ago.

I do not see a Biblical basis for Christmas. I do not see a Biblical basis for 1 day of the year as a special day; I do see a Biblical basis for 1 day of the week as a special day.

As an atheist I like all religious festivals that are fun.

As an example of not-Fun we have Lent and Ramadam. They are boring.

As an example of Fun we have Christmas and Diwali. In the UK Diwali is an extra bonus day that I can let off fireworks. It is fun.

So basically, is Hanukah "Fun". Can I eat and drink ?. Are there presents ?. Are there bizarre rituals ?

ps: I hate Pepsi but if that is all that I got,

[Goat]

Christmas is not timed at the season of the event; Hanukah (to the best of my knowledge is). Jesus was born in spring. The day of Christmas was picked by a Roman Emperor because is is the birthday of Murthra. Murthra was a God of the people who Rome had conquered and so to unite the empire they had a Holiday on the day when these other people were already having a birthday party.

Christmas has been excessively commercialized; Hanukah hasn't. Society pressures people to buy the most expensive toy for thier kids(whether they can afford it or not). I do not see how that is worshipful of The Savior.

The symbols of Christmas (Santa, Frosty, etc) do relate to a divine birth; Hanukah still has set of candles like the one that would not go out about 2000 years ago.

I do not see a Biblical basis for Christmas. I do not see a Biblical basis for 1 day of the year as a special day; I do see a Biblical basis for 1 day of the week as a special day.

As an atheist I like all religious festivals that are fun.

As an example of not-Fun we have Lent and Ramadam. They are boring.

As an example of Fun we have Christmas and Diwali. In the UK Diwali is an extra bonus day that I can let off fireworks. It is fun.

So basically, is Hanukah "Fun". Can I eat and drink ?. Are there presents ?. Are there bizarre rituals ?

ps: I hate Pepsi but if that is all that I got,

There are presents, you eat and drink, and get to light fires (well candles.)

[FinalEnigma]

There are presents, you eat and drink, and get to light fires (well candles.)

Could you build a really huge set of candles and make a bonfire on top of each one?

[cnorman18]

For the record, I am a Jew.

Christmas is not timed at the season of the event; Hanukah (to the best of my knowledge) is.

Not sure of that; but in any event, so what? The Declaration of Independence wasn't signed on July 4, either. Since the exact date of Jesus's birth isn't known, it can be commemorated at any time; and that commemoration is the point.

Jesus was born in spring. The day of Christmas was picked by a Roman Emperor because is is the birthday of Murthra. Murthra was a God of the people who Rome had conquered and so to unite the empire they had a Holiday on the day when these other people were already having a birthday party.

There was even more to it than that. Mithras was a warrior-god and the most popular god among Roman soldiers; he also had the remarkable habit of dying and rising again, which made him a natural to be replaced by Jesus.

Again, so what? Four of our weekdays are named for Norse gods, and the other three for heavenly bodies.

Christmas has been excessively commercialized; Hanukah hasn't.

Christmas is a major holiday for Christians; Hanukkah is a very minor holiday for Jews. Jewish schools don't even close for it. The only reason it's well-known is because it falls close to Christmas.

Society pressures people to buy the most expensive toy for thier kids (whether they can afford it or not). I do not see how that is worshipful of The Savior.

I think that's true in some circles; among the wealthy, perhaps. But there is certainly more to Christmas than gift-giving. Family gatherings, festive meals and worship services, beloved plays and TV shows and even a ballet, children's pageants, traditional music, a GREAT deal of charitable activity, and of course, opening gifts under the tree.

The commercialization of Christmas is not the center of the holiday for most Christians. It is very important to many merchants, because as much as 80% of their income can come from Christmas sales. They are going to capitalize on that, of course. That's just economic reality.

The only thing I really find objectionable is the butchering of holiday music to make TV and radio commercials.

For us Jews, of course, the best shopping time is the week or so AFTER Christmas. We buy all the same stuff the goyim do, but we get it on sale.

The symbols of Christmas (Santa, Frosty, etc) do not relate to a divine birth; Hanukah still has set of candles like the one that would not go out about 2000 years ago.

The oil story is sort of the "Santa Claus" myth of Hanukkah. The holiday is actually a celebration of a military victory, the only Jewish holiday of that nature.

Hanukkah is not even universally celebrated among Jews. The Jews of India were separated from the rest of our people early in the first century CE, before the events commemorated by the holiday took place; they did not hear of them for centuries, and the holiday never became part of their culture or practice.

I do not see a Biblical basis for Christmas.

Oh, please. The birth narratives in Matthew and Luke may not match, but they are definitely there. Jesus, if he existed, was definitely born. That's basis enough if one is a believer.

I do not see a Biblical basis for 1 day of the year as a special day; I do see a Biblical basis for 1 day of the week as a special day.

Then you have read little of the OT. The four major festivals of the Jews - Passover, Sukkot, Shavuot, and Rosh Hashanah - are specifically named and established on the Hebrew calendar as "special days," as well as Yom Kippur, the New Moon, and other days. Purim, too, arguably has a Biblical basis in the book of Esther, though it is not specifically mandated like the others.

As it happens, Hanukkah is a post-Biblical holiday and is not mentioned in the Bible.

Hanukkah is different than Christmas. Not better.