Nittel and Other Terms: How Judaism References Non-Jewish Holidays

Tomorrow (December 25th) marks the Christian festival of Christmas. In Jewish tradition, the designation for this holiday is ניטל (pronounced Nittel), a term originally derived from Yiddish.

The etymological root of the word lies in ancient Latin (Dies Natalis – Day of Birth). This phrase underwent a slight shift in Medieval Latin (Natale Domini – Birth of the Lord), and from there, it likely made its way into Yiddish. In Ashkenazi Jewish tradition, various customs were observed on this specific eve, such as refraining from Torah study.

However, ניטל is not the only term used. In Jewish sources, holidays celebrated by non-Jews are often referred to by two other names:

1. Eid (איד)

This term comes from the Aramaic עיד. The Mishnah states:

"These are the אידיהן (holidays) of the idolaters: Kalenda and Saturnalia" (Tractate Avodah Zarah 1:2).

These two festivals, Kalenda and Saturnalia, were Roman holidays that predated Christian Christmas:

• Saturnalia was celebrated in honor of the god Saturn, the god of agriculture. It was a revelry that began on December 17th and concluded on the Solstice (which fell on December 25th according to the original Julian calendar).

• Kalenda was another closely related date marked by the Romans, celebrated on January 1st.

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The Talmud, in Tractate Avodah Zarah, quotes Rav Shmuel offering a sharper interpretation: " אידיהן – for the day of their איד is near."

This interpretation plays on the double meaning of the Hebrew word איד, which signifies trouble, disaster, or failure (as opposed to the Aramaic meaning of celebration). Interestingly, the word עיד (Eid) also exists in Arabic with the meaning of a festival (for example, Eid al-Adha – the Festival of the Sacrifice).

2.  Chaga (חגא)

This term also stems from Aramaic and is parallel to the Hebrew word for holiday, חג. However, in modern Hebrew usage, the word חגא is often used with a negative connotation or specifically to denote a non-Jewish holiday.

We can see this usage in the writings of the famous author Mendele Mocher Sforim:

"Either way, the days of Sukkot passed, and this holiday became a חגא for Hershele. On the very day of Simchat Torah, his father became so weak that they no longer believed he would live" (In the Valley of Tears, 1897).