Hanukkah festivities light up Jerusalem as the Jewish holiday begins on Wednesday. This year marks a rare convergence, as Hanukkah and Christmas share the same date for the first time since 2005.

Many people Wednesday night celebrated the first night of Hanukkah. The Jewish holiday officially started Wednesday at sundown. City officials in downtown Portland lit a Menorah outside city hall in celebration.

For the first time in nearly 20 years, the first day of Hanukkah fell on Christmas this year. In years past, a Grand Menorah on Fremont Street was lit to mark the first night of the Festival of Lights.

Hanukkah has been celebrated for more than 2,000 years It’s a tradition that’s older than Christmas. Hanukkah is known as a festival of lights that gets its start dating back to a conflict in the year 168 B.