Lenora Shoemaker prepares candles on her menorah at a lighting ceremony at the Harrietstown Town Hall on the seventh day of last year’s Hanukkah. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

SARANAC LAKE — It’s almost time to start lighting the menorah, playing dreidel and eating latkes. As Hannukah starts tomorrow, there are several events to celebrate the holiday around the Tri-Lakes.

Hanukkah’s dates are based on the Hebrew calendar, so it shifts around on the Gregorian calendar. It is taking place later than usual this year — starting on Dec. 25 and stretching into the new year, ending on Jan. 2.

Lake Placid Synagogue President Sue Semegram said her congregation will have a family menorah lighting at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 29 at the synagogue, located at 2301 Saranac Ave.

The lighting will be followed with a dinner of traditional latkes — potato pancakes — and Chinese food.

Harrietstown town Supervisor Jordanna Mallach said the annual menorah lighting in the auditorium of the Harrietstown Town Hall will be held at 5 p.m. on Monday. She said they will provide menorahs and candles, or people can bring their own. Afterward, people can eat sufganiyot — jelly doughnuts and gelt — chocolate coins –and play dreidel.

Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean Revolt, a war in response to Syrian armies desecrating the temple from 167 to 160 B.C.

After the Maccabees took the temple, they only found enough oil to burn for one night, but it lasted for eight.

It is a festival, instead of a holy day like the major Jewish holidays of Passover, Shavout and Sukkot.

“Actually, it’s one of the less-important holidays,” Semegram said.

In the mid-1900s, she said leading rabbis decided they should make it more attractive for kids who don’t celebrate Christmas, the dominant December holiday in the Western world.

Today, it has become a major holiday on the calendar.

This is the third year Mallach has held the community lighting.

“Everyone’s welcome, regardless of if you celebrate Hanukkah or not,” she said. “Everyone’s welcome to come and learn and participate.”

All the communities she grew up in had similar public candle lightings, so when she became town supervisor she figured she’d start the tradition here in the Adirondacks. Mallach said it is an opportunity for people to come together, learn about a religion and tradition they might now be familiar with and acknowledge the diversity of people living here.