Please forgive the following questions if they are insulting. I don’t know anyone else to ask or any other way of asking:
Was the Hanukkah bush idea sincerely put forward? When did it start? Did it start out as a joke or is it now a joke? Is it traditional or was it invented in response to the Christmas Tree? Or am I just stupid for not realizing that it’s entirely a joke? Or is it real?
This website seems to imply that the Hanukkah bush is a reaction to counter the rising popularity of Christmas trees and that it’s largely just a mild joke. Is this accurate?
I’m sorry. My only exposure to Jewish traditions comes from Fiddler on the Roof, Schindler’s List, and one day of ethic diversity in second grade. None of them ever mentioned a Hanukkah bush, so now I’m cofused.
FYI, descpriptive thread titles help to attract the people who are best able to answer your question. You might want to e-mail a moderator and have him/her change the title to something more meaningful.
Sorry, I’m still new at this. Plus, I didn’t know quite what to put.
“Hanukkah bush” might be TMI. Same problem for “questions about Hanukkah bush.”
Will be braver next time.
The Chanukah bush is strictly an invention of the 20th century in America, and of course it was adopted as a form of the Christmas tree by some families who were not very educated about Judaism and its real traditions.
Look, respecting the beliefs of another ought to be a nice cornerstone to an interfaith marriage. The commercial blending of two very distinct and wholly unrelated events and celebrations is, IMHO, vaguely horrifying.
There is no Hannukah bush. Similarly, no Chanukkah bush.
I lit our menorah tonight, said a prayer, and thought about my ancestors as they burned…
I’m not Jewish, but this is the impression I got from Jewish friends I grew up with: They had a Christmas tree, for secular reasons – they thought it was pretty, it was a nice symbol of the season, “everybody” had one, etc. But they knew it also had religious connotation which was distinctly Christian, and being Jewish, were perhaps a bit chagrined or embarrassed by that. So rather than proclaim they had a Christmas tree, they said – tongue in cheek – that it was a Chanukah bush.
Nothing to do with Chanukah, other than occurring in December. A mild joke, poking a bit of fun at themselves as they straddled two cultures with a touch of awkwardness.
There is nothing particularly Christian about a Christmas tree. There’s nothing in the NT such that it makes any particular sense to put a highly ornamented tree with lights on it in ones home for any religious purpose. This was just a pagan custom that Christians adopted. Thus, it makes as much sense (or, as little sense) for Jews to have a Chanukah bush.
I think you missed my point. Its pagan history and widespread secular use means it is not exclusively Christian, but the fact that it’s called a Christmas tree is a reflection of the religious connotation. And Jews aren’t looking to have a plant to associate with Chanukah – the only reason the phrase “Chanukah bush” exists is because it was a humorous way for someone who was supposed to be celebrating Chanukah to explain and justify having a Christmas tree.
Thank you, DrMatrix! Chopped liver is damned tastey.
And thank you everyone for your replies. I had a feeling it was a tongue-in-cheeck modern adaptation blending thing, but I wanted to double check.
Sample_the_Dog, when Christians come up with holidays on their own, they’re pretty lame. I was never excited about getting ash smeared on my forhead. Gimme a chocolate egg any day.
The Yule tree is either pagan or secular, not Xtian. Same with the Easter Bunny. More or less the same with Santa, although one version of Santa is a Xtian Saint, so I suppose that’s Xtian, but it gets fuzzy when you’re talking about a “jolly old elf”… naw, once you’re talking 'elf" you have crossed the line from Xtian. “Yule” or “Xmas” trees are no more Xtian than Jack Frost, icicles, or mistletoe.
Now- creche or manger scenes- those are Xtian. Period.
Angels come from any of the 3 OT faiths, and even a few others ("New Age"rs have Angels too, and there are others). They are not secular but are pretty non-faith specific.
Thus, IMHO a “Chanukkah bush” is not Jewish either, it’s just a winter thing, like putting up fake icicles or something. I wouldn’t think it was strange for a Jewish family to decorate with autumn leaves for Fall, thus same with an evergreen tree for winter. Same with a Turkey for Thanksgiving. (Even though Thanksgiving could be argued to be a Xtian holiday to start).
“Halloween” is an Xtain holiday by name but we don’t find it odd for little Manny Cohen to go “trickortreating” do we? True, Halloween has Pagan roots- but so does the Yule log, Mistletoe, the Tree, etc etc. Just because there is an Xtain holiday there, doesn’t mean no one else can have fun!
