Thanksgivukkah

"Thanksgivukkah"という、甚だ不思議なスペルの単語を目にしました。

今日11月28日は11月の第4木曜日で、感謝祭（Thanksgiving）の日に当たりますが、はてさて、"Thanksgivikkah"とは一体何のことでしょうか？


For 30 years, Stuart Kahan has resisted customers’ entreaties to shake up the Hanukkah selection at his Teaneck, New Jersey, delicatessen. Now he has a reason to move beyond potato pancakes: Thanksgivukkah, a mashup of the American and Jewish celebrations.

Owing to an overlap in the Gregorian and Jewish calendars, Hanukkah and Thanksgiving have collided for the first time since at least early last century. Merchants as varied as Amazon.com Inc., Martha Stewart and Teaneck’s Smokey Joe’s kosher barbecue are rising to the occasion with Thanksgivukkah menus, tchotchkes and merchandise.
(Lauren Coleman-Lochner. Thanksgivukkah Spawning Menurkeys in Mashup Celebration. Bloomberg. November 27, 2013.)


どうやら"Thanksgivukkah"とは、"Thanksgiving"と"Hanukkah"の合成語のようです。

今年は、グレゴリオ暦における"Thanksgiving"の日と、ユダヤ暦における"Hanukkah"の日が重なる、非常に類まれな年なのだそうです。


For the first time since 1888, the first day of Chanukah falls on Thanksgiving, an event so rare it will not happen again for approximately another 80,000 years.
(MaryAlice Parks. It’s Thanksgivukkah – The National Menorah Is Lit. ABC News. November 27, 2013.)


前回は1888年で、次は約8万年後（！？）のことだとか。