Chabad Jewish Centre of Barrie will light a public 10-foot menorah in the city's south end on Wednesday evening, followed by a community celebration, to mark the first night of Hanukkah.
The event will begin at 5 p.m. on Dec. 25 at 431 Huronia Rd., Unit 3.
"This Hanukkah, Barrie is seeing a surge in public displays of the holiday and Jewish identity, with many more families and individuals planning to light their menorahs in visible places, such as their doors or windows," says a release from the Chabad Jewish Centre of Barrie.
The ceremony, which is free to attend, will feature a menorah lighting and an array of entertainment for all ages including an entertainment show for kids, holiday music, as well as hot drinks and a selection of traditional Hanukkah foods.
Throughout the country, Chabad-Lubavitch will be presenting dozens of Hanukkah events and celebrations, including public menorah lightings, ice menorah displays, car-top menorah parades, community gatherings, giant dreidel houses, Chanukah wonderlands and more.
Chabad Jewish Centre of Barrie says this year’s celebrations carry "added significance" as they mark 50 years since the first public menorah, which was lit at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia in 1974.
"Today, public menorahs and Hanukkah displays have become a staple of Jewish cultural and Canadian public life, forever altering the Canadian practice and perception of the festival," says the release. "This year’s Hanukkah campaign will be one of unprecedented light and joy, seeing Chabad reach more than eight million Jews in more than 100 countries."
Barrie's menorah is one of over 15,000 large public menorahs throughout the world, including notable menorahs in front of the White House, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the Great Wall of China, and Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.
Hanukkah, the eight-day Festival of Lights, begins this year on the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 25 and concludes on Thursday Jan. 2 at nightfall.
