The Chabad of Hall County will host menorah lighting ceremonies as part of its Light Up Hall County events in Flowery Branch and Gainesville.

Co-director of the nonprofit Rabbi Nechemia Gurevitz shared that the event marks the third year the nonprofit has brought the celebration to Gainesville Square and the second year the event has been held at the Flowery Branch Amphitheater.

Wednesday, December 25th is the first evening of the eight days of Hanukkah. The event will take place on Thursday, December 26th in Flowery Branch and Sunday, December 29th in Gainesville.

Gurevitz said the holiday commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Greek occupiers in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.

“At this time of year, 2,000 years ago, they liberated Jerusalem and the Temple, and one of the services in the Temple was the menorah,” Gurevitz explained. “…It was a very important service in their religion, and there was no pure oil to light the candelabra. So they searched and searched and found a small jar of oil that was only enough for one day. They took it and lit it, and the oil miraculously lasted eight days until they could produce more oil.”

Both events will feature a 10-foot menorah lighting, oil-fried donuts and potato latkes for all participants. Gruevitz said there will also be hot chocolate, crafts for children and entertainment for adults.

“Although (Hanukkah) is a Jewish holiday, the message is universal and applies to all people of all backgrounds,” Gurevitz said. “It is the message of freedom, the message of tolerance, the message of giving people the opportunity to express themselves spiritually. And it is also the message of the victory of light over darkness. That’s why we want to make the celebration accessible to everyone here in Hall County.”

Flowery Branch’s Light-Up Hall County Celebration will take place at 5 p.m., while the Gainesville event begins at 4:30 p.m. The organization asks all participants to participate Register through the Chabad of Hall County website. The event is free and everyone is welcome.