For the first time in 125 years, Hanukkah will begin at sundown the day before Thanksgiving. The two holidays will fuse together creating a celebration unique to Jewish Americans — Thanksgivukkah.

Thanksgivukkah is a rare occurrence that will not repeat itself for another 78,000 years, give or take a few centuries. With Hanukkah beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 26, the holiday will be a joyous one filled with turkey, pumpkin pie and latkes.

Hanukkah stems from a tale of an oil lamp with enough fuel for only one night. During a revolt against the Greeks in 2 B.C., the Maccabees lit the candle within the Holy Temple and watched it burn for eight days. Today, this is symbolized by the lighting of the Menorah on each of the eight nights of Hanukkah.

Junior Hailey Boeck hopes the phenomenon will bring awareness to how fun Hanukkah can be. Just as Christmas has come to be celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike, Hanukkah can be a holiday for everyone as well, she said.

“Mom makes a huge turkey that can feed an army, and then there’s the stuffing and the dressing and all that,” Boeck said. “We always have a million sides to pick from and probably 10 million desserts.”

For Boeck, the joy will come from spending Hanukkah with her family, she said.

“For at least the past few years, Hanukkah has been during finals,” Boeck said. “So, this year I get to go home and do Hanukkah and Thanksgiving together, and it won’t be overwritten by Christmas, which will be nice for once.”

Neither holiday lacks in food as part of the celebration, either. While a deep-fried turkey is definitely welcome at most Thanksgiving tables, fried foods are a staple of the traditional Hanukkah feast, too. Deep-frying foods in oil to commemorate the history of the holiday yields all types of delectable desserts and dishes, such as the latke, or potato pancake.

“My family isn’t kosher, so for Thanksgiving we’ll have all the traditional stuff — turkey, a variety of casseroles like spinach and sweet potato, and I’ll make some pumpkin bread,” said junior Sarah Abroms. “We’ll have all of the traditional Thanksgiving stuff and maybe some latkes.”