With the Jewish Festival of Lights happening while Indiana University students are on break, the celebration was at the courthouse for the first time.

The Chabad Lubavitch Jewish Center of Merrimack Valley held its annual Grand Menorah Lighting at The Park, 36 Bartlet St., on Thursday to celebrate Hanukkah .

The free celebration takes place at the Newport Beach shopping center Sunday at 3 p.m., featuring holiday crafts, dreidels, doughnuts and free activities for kids.

This year, for the first time in nearly two decades, the first night of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah falls on the same day as Christmas.

The first night of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is underway. On the first night of Hanukkah, one candle is lit from the eight candle menorah and there is a story behind this. The holiday of Hanukkah celebrates the victory over the Syrian Greeks and the light of the menorah that burned for eight days with just a little bit of oil.

For the first night of Hanukkah, a Rochester high school graduate returned to his hometown from Israel to light the menorah. Chabad of Southern Minnesota held a gathering Wednesday to commemorate the beginning of the eight-day Jewish holiday.

A menorah lighting celebration to start the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah coincided with Christmas Day for the first time in nearly two decades. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean has the story.