Hanukkah is an eight-day winter festival of lights, celebrated to mark the triumph of light over darkness, and the Highlands Chamber of Commerce invites you to join your community in this tradition at the Lighting of the Menorah on Sunday, December 14th at 5:30 P.M. at the Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park.
One candle of the giant menorah will be lit on this first night of Hanukkah, and an additional candle each successive night, serving as a beacon of hope and a celebration of resilience. This will be done until the eighth night when the Menorah is fully illuminated.
The lighting of the menorah is traditionally celebrated with song, dancing, blessings, and prayers of thanksgiving and faith, and is a wonderful opportunity for our community to gather and embrace the universal message of hope and the triumph of light over darkness.
Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century BCE, when the Jewish people, led by the Maccabees, reclaimed their temple from the Seleucid rulers. According to tradition, they discovered only one small flask of purified oil to light the temple’s menorah – enough for a single day – yet the oil miraculously burned for eight nights.
During Hanukkah families share traditional foods such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly-filled doughnuts), both fried in oil to recall the miracle of the oil in the temple. Children may play dreidel, a spinning top game with Hebrew letters that stand for “a great miracle happened there.” Gifts are often exchanged, blending ancient customs with modern traditions that strengthen family bonds.
Join our Jewish neighbors on this reflective occasion and start your holiday season off on a hopeful and joyous note.
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