First Day of Hanukkah to be Celebrated Today with Menorah Lighting at City Hall

Chabad Pasadena will host a public menorah lighting ceremony today at City Hall, one of several Hanukkah events taking place across the city.

The lighting of the menorah is the central ritual of Hanukkah, commemorating the miracle of the oil. Each night of the eight-day festival, an additional candle is lit on the menorah, symbolizing the triumph of light over darkness and serving as a public display of Jewish faith and resilience.

This year, Hanukkah starts on December 25. Today’s ceremony in Pasadena runs from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 100 North Garfield Avenue and is open to the public. Latkes, jelly donuts and hot cocoa will be served.

“Essentially, most bought houses do these public lightings around the world, and the premise behind that is to spread the miracle of Hanukkah everywhere. There’s a miracle of the few over the mighty, the weak over the strong… and ultimately, bringing light and illuminating the world at large. It’s a message that is eternal to people of all faiths and all walks of life,” said Rabbi Chaim Hanoka, executive director at Chabad Pasadena.

Public Hanukkah celebrations in Pasadena began 30 years ago at the former Pasadena Plaza, now called The Paseo Colorado.

“I guess the response has only grown, I’m going to say, exponentially,” Hanoka said.

“Being able to enjoy the freedom of religion that we have in our country, unlike many other countries, and to experience Hanukkah in a very open way, which is something which perhaps is not done in many other places,” Hanoka said.

Chabad Pasadena offers events “literally every night of Hanukkah,” according to Hanoka, with some activities reserved for synagogue members and others open to the public.

The festival celebrates the victory of the Maccabees, a small group of Jewish rebels, over the powerful Seleucid Empire, which had outlawed Jewish practices and desecrated the Temple.

According to tradition, when the Maccabees reclaimed the Temple, they found only enough pure oil to light the menorah for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, allowing time to produce more. This event is remembered by lighting candles on a nine-branched menorah, or hanukkiah, for eight nights.

Hanukkah concludes on January 2, 2025.