BIDDEFORD — As autumn falls headlong into winter, the signs of the season abound: Brightly-lit storefronts, festive evergreens and ornate lawn decorations pepper suburbia and the surrounding urban sprawl, signaling the onset of the monster holiday that is Christmas.

But look closely enough, and one will see signs of a quieter sort. Sprinkled among observers of the ubiquitous Christian holiday are families who mark the season with tastefully placed menorahs, imbuing living room windows with a subtle glow that those in the Jewish community will recognize instantly.

Hanukkah is upon us.

Dubbed the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah is considered one of the minor Jewish holidays. But every year, observers at the Etz Chaim synagogue in Biddeford mark the occasion with a major celebration, an annual Hanukkah party that draws both locals and out-of-staters with the promise of music, food and a communal sense of belonging.

This year’s event, to be held at the Bacon Street temple on Sunday, Dec. 16 at 5 p.m., will be the culmination of a year’s worth of planning, and has become almost as much of a tradition as the stately menorah itself.

“It’s all about families getting together,” said Julie Campisi, one of the event’s organizers. “It does help to foster that sense of community.”

Maureen King has helped organize the event with her husband, Marc Feldman, since the party’s inception 11 years ago, and recalled last week that the gathering has grown, from a simple dinner in 1997 to its current incarnation as an anticipated community event.

“We made latkes and had (a band) come, and that was it,” said King of the gathering’s infancy. “We started doing a potluck at the same time, and that was when it really started to take off.”

Those latkes, or potato pancakes, are among the Hanukkah traditions that may be more obscure to those who are not of the Jewish faith. But even the lighting of the candles on the menorah ”“ perhaps the most widely recognizable tradition associated with the festival ”“ is reflective of a miracle story with which many outside the religion aren’t familiar, reflected Campisi.

The way the story is told, a Jewish revolt against an oppressive regime in Jerusalem resulted in the liberation of the city’s temple, which was rededicated and outfitted with a new altar to replace the one that had been polluted by occupiers. According to the Talmud, olive oil was needed for the menorah in the temple, which was required to burn throughout the night, every night. The story goes that there was only enough oil to burn for a single day, and yet it burned for eight, just the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight-day festival was declared by Jewish sages, and more than 2,000 years later, Jews still pay homage to their faith’s miracle by lighting their menorah candles during each night the festival is observed. Gifts are also exchanged each night.

Campisi’s daughter, Sarah, said that her appreciation of the festival’s meaning has grown over the years.

“When I was little, it was all about the presents,” said Sarah Campisi. “Now that I’m older, I can appreciate it more. I love the feeling of community we get. I love that the Jews around the world all light their candles for the same reason.”

The Thornton Academy student mused that many of her friends and classmates misunderstand the Hanukkah festival ”“ making the assumption that it’s the “Jewish Christmas,” or that the focus is on gifts.

“I’ve tried to explain to them the meaning of it,” she said, “but a lot of them don’t know what it’s like to have that appreciation of something religiously.”

As for the upcoming party, Sarah Campisi looks forward to it as an opportunity to see friends with whom she’s been going to synagogue since she was a small child.

It’s also a good opportunity to do a little dancing.

As they’ve done for years now, a group dubbed the Casco Bay Tummlers will be present to perform a unique type of music known as klezmer, a secular Jewish folk music that King describes as “Eastern European gypsy jazz,” which in years past has kept the gathering on its collective feet and moving in celebratory rhythm.

Plenty of food will be on hand, and of course, latkes will abound.

King hopes members of the Jewish community will feel bonded by the annual tradition.

“I always hope people take away a sense of the community that we have, and a sense of fun,” she said. “I think it’s really about building the traditions that we have and coming together and having a good time.”

— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319 or jlagasse@journaltribune.com.