Hanukkah Menorah lighting
6 p.m. at La Sabana Park, behind León Cortés statue, Calle 42, Paseo Colón. Info: 2296-6565.

Son del Pueblo in concert
Salsa, 9:30 p.m., El Observatorio, Barrio La California, opposite Cine Magaly. Info: 2223-0725.

Sonámbulo in c oncert
“Psychotropical” style, part of the Mundo Loco series, 10 p.m., Jazz Café, San Pedro, 2253-8933; Sonámbulo play again tomorrow 10 p.m. at Jazz Café, Escazú, 2288-4740, www.jazzcafecostarica.com.

The Jewish festival of Hanukkah began last night, although one of the calendar's most joyous holidays took on an overlay of sadness in Costa Rica and around the world this year.

The annual lighting of the five-meter-tall menorah at La Sabana Park on San José's west this year is part of a worldwide campaign called Unite the Lights, dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Gavriel and Rivky Holtzberg, emissaries of the international Jewish Chabad Lubavitch movement. The Holtzbergs were among scores of people killed in last month's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India.

The eight-candle menorah is Hanukkah's most recognizable symbol, and commemorates the one-time candelabra at the temple in Jerusalem. Just a scant amount of clean oil was available to light the menorah at rededication ceremonies in 165 B.C., following the temple's desecration by Greek invaders, but the lights burned for eight days.

“The way to fight darkness is with light, which is what Hanukkah is all about,” Chana Spalter, co-director of Chabad Lubavitch in Costa Rica, told The Tico Times. Unite the Lights encourages the public to incorporate a message of unity, light and goodness into their menorah lightings this year.

La Sabana's menorah (Calle 42 at Paseo Colón, behind the statue of former President León Cortes) will be illuminated each night of Hanukkah, now through Dec. 28.

Deportivo Saprissa won their fifth consecutive Costa Rican soccer league title after beating main rival Liga Deportiva Alajuelense 3-0 Saturday night in a lively home game.

Saprissa won a historic 28th national title after coming back from a 0-2 deficit after losing to La Liga Wednesday in the Alajuelense stadium in the first game of the two-game championship.

With the win Saturday, the “purple monster” finished the championship leading 3-2 on aggregate goals.

The two teams battled in the Winter Tournament final intensely and tirelessly for 90 minutes.

Saprissa showed the strong game it had failed to bring Wednesday, opening with a swift goal in the 12th minute. Winger Michael Barrantes crossed the ball to midfielder Armando Alonso, drawing Alajuelense's keeper, Patrick Pemberton, to the far post. Alonso then headed it back across the goal to striker Alejandro Alpízar, who headed it easily into the near post.

Less than a minute later, Alonso scored off a lobbed chip from Alpízar that Pemberton failed to challenge fully and get his hands on.

After watching its 2-0 advantage wiped out in a matter of seconds, La Liga, led by Argentine Marcelo Herrera, tried to reorganize and take back their advantage. But in the last minutes of the first half, Saprissa upped their attack and almost notched their third goal.

At the beginning of the second half, both teams found themselves with 10 men on the field after Liga midfielder Argenis González and Saprissa defender Alexander Robinson received red cards for trading blows and were ejected from the game.

During the final minutes of the game, it looked like the match might head into overtime, but Saprissa pulled out all the stakes, putting in forward Jairo Arrieta. The move paid off. Arrieta scored Saprissa's third goal of the game in the 80th minute with a header over two Liga defenders, sending the stadium – and strident Saprissistas throughout the country – into celebration.

“Other teams win games. Saprissa wins championships,”Alonso told reporter afterward.

The two teams are by far the most dominant in Costa Rican soccer, to the point that a common critique of the domestic league is that they are the only two competitive teams. Indeed, no other team has won a league title since Herediano in 1993.

Saprissa lead the country with their 28 titles. Alajuelense are second with 24. Alajuelense's win last Wednesday was their first against the Tibás squad in their last 20 meetings.

Newswire EFE contributed to this report.

Wal-Mart Central America's board of directors has announced plans to set up a corporate office for the isthmus in Costa Rica.

The office, which will open next month, will host Wal-Mart's regular executive committee meetings.

“The choice of Costa Rica came as a result of a detailed analysis process, where a consulting firm evaluated the conditions of the countries within this region as candidates for a likely Wal-Mart Central America headquarters,” the company said in a press release.

Among the items examined were the current business climate, competitiveness between the participating countries, the associated financial costs, and the quality of life throughout Central America.

Although the main regional headquarters will be in Costa Rica, the central office in the capital of each Central American country will remain in place.

Wal-Mart's board of directors will meet on an annual basis once in Guatemala, where the company already carries out various corporate activities, and in Costa Rica.

In addition, both of these countries will develop “Excellence Centers” around 2010, where Wal-Mart would offer business training for its employees.

Wal-Mart has more than 500 stores in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Wal-Mart operates in Costa Rica as Más X Menos, Palí, Hipermás and Maxibodega stores.

Wal-Mart Central America was formed in 2006 when Wal-Mart obtained majority control of the Central American Retail Holding Company, which it first bought into in September 2005.