Steamboat Springs — The irony of celebrating the first night of the Jewish Festival of Lights in a restaurant that greets its customers with a large ceramic pig hasn’t escaped Paula Salky.

But like many Jewish holidays, Hanukkah is a celebration of survival. So why not acknowledge that strength of tradition at Steamboat Smokehouse, a place that breaks just about every possible rule of kosher cooking?

“Over 2,000 years ago, they tried to annihilate the Jewish people. And here we are, still today. And we’re doing a Hanukkah presentation in a pork restaurant,” said Salky, a member of Har Mishpacha, Steamboat Springs’ Jewish community organization. The group hosts a Hanukkah party and dinner at 6 p.m. today at the Smokehouse. The menu includes brisket and sides cooked by the Smokehouse and potato latkes cooked by members of Har Mishpacha.

Hanukkah, which starts at sundown today, is an eight-night celebration remembering the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Maccabees after their victory against the Syrians. According to Jewish tradition, the Maccabees fought the Syrians for three years to escape oppression and be free to practice their religion. The Maccabees won, but they found the Temple desecrated at the end of the war, and they wanted to rededicate it.

There was only enough pure oil to burn for one day in the Temple, but the victors’ supply burned for eight nights – just enough time to press more olives and make more oil. To commemorate that, traditional Hanukkah celebrations often revolve around food fried in oil.

On Thursday, Salky cooked latkes – or fried potato pancakes – for Har Mishpacha members Stacy Most, Stacey Kramer and Barbara Black. The women compared latke recipes and Hanukkah traditions.

“Hanukkah is just like all holidays – it’s all about tradition,” Most said.

Eight nights of tradition

Hanukkah does not carry as much religious significance as holidays such as Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashana or Passover. Instead, the Festival of Lights is a chance to get together with family, eat, exchange small gifts and shed light on a new calendar year.

“It was a time that everybody got together,” Most said of her childhood Hanukkah experiences. “It was all about the children and the chocolate.”

On each night of Hanukkah, a new candle is lit on the menorah. The candles are lit from left to right, and are placed in the menorah from right to left. Many American families give children small gifts on each night, though gift giving has nothing to do with any religious tradition. A short prayer accompanies the lighting of each candle.

Other than that, Hanukkah is about celebrating through community and food – specifically, fried foods, such as latkes or jelly donuts.

Every cook has her own take on the potato pancake, Most said. Salky adds Creole seasoning, and Most adds fresh herbs. Latke batter can include grated beets, carrots, zucchini, sweet potato or other vegetables. They can be made with peeled potatoes, but some recipes leave the skins on. There are plenty of shortcuts available, from frozen shredded potatoes to pre-made pancakes.

“Stacey makes hers out of a box,” Salky said, joking about the time Kramer made latkes in half an hour for a class project.

“My grandmother would plotz if she knew,” Kramer said, using the Yiddish expression for “explode.”

Hanukkah continues through Sunday, Dec. 28. Har Mishpacha’s party today includes an opening prayer for the holiday, a children’s gift exchange and a dreidel contest, with candy and cash prizes.