Happy Hanukkah! Lighting of menorah begins 8-day celebration

To commemorate the first night of the eight day Jewish celebration of Hanukkah, festivities were held across the GTA including the lighting of a 1.8 metre tall menorah in front of a North York police station.

Sunday's event, billed as the Grand Menorah Lighting, took place at 32 Division on 30 Ellerslie Ave., just west of Yonge Street between Sheppard and Finch Avenues.

Residents gathered to share food, music and Hanukkah crafts.

Hanukkah, also known as the festival of lights, commemorates the Jewish uprising in the second century BC against the Greek-Syrian kingdom, which had tried to impose its culture on Jews and adorn the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem with statues of Greek gods.

The holiday lasts eight days because according to tradition, when the Jews rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem, a single vial of oil, enough for one day, burned miraculously for eight.

For many Jewish people, the holiday symbolizes the triumph of good over evil.

Observant Jews light a candle each night to mark the holiday.