Chanukah Menorah Lightings Around the Globe
The Chabad-Lubavitch outreach organization is hosting a variety of public menorah lightings for Hanukkah with events and activities around the world, from cruises to skating.
The eight-day holiday begins the evening of Dec. 20.
In Birmingham, Ala., a menorah made from ice will be lit Dec. 22 at an event at the local Chabad house with crafts, treats and other children’s activities. On Dec. 25, Chabad of Alabama will host a dinner with kosher Chinese food and a menorah lighting.
In Anchorage, Alaska, at the Egan Convention Center on Dec. 20, “Cirque de Hanukkah” will feature an acrobatic display by a troupe that recently appeared on “America’s Got Talent.”
A number of communities are hosting events at skating rinks, including one on Dec. 20 in Central Park in New York at Trump Wollman Rink and another one Dec. 26 at a rink in Louisville, Colo., near Boulder.
Cruises will be held to celebrate Hanukkah in several cities, including one in Australia that will offer a barbecue dinner plus latkes, live music and a magic show on a boat that will sail under the Sydney Harbor Bridge as the menorah is lit. In Shanghai, a pre-Hanukkah cruise will take place Dec. 11 on the Huangpu River with food, music, games and a Hanukkah shop.
In Tallahassee, Fla., a pre-Hanukkah bowling party will help students get ready for the holiday at Florida State University. In Chandler, Ariz., several events are taking place on Dec. 18, including a candle-making workshop, drum circle, and Hanukkah party. And in Metairie, La., a parade of cars bearing menorahs will take place the evening of Dec. 20, followed by a “latkes on roller skates” party on Dec. 21 at a local rink and a menorah lighting on Dec. 22 at the local Riverwalk.
In New York City, what is said to be the world’s largest menorah will be lit at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue near Central Park each night at 5: 30 p.m., except for the Sabbath when the lights will be lit at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 23 and 8:30 p.m. Dec. 24. And at the Jewish Children’s Museum in Brooklyn, interactive workshops will take place on pressing oil, which was traditionally used in menorahs instead of candles.
For more Hanukkah events, visit http://www.chabad.org/HanukkahEvents
