CHESTERTOWN — The first Hanukkah candle was lit on a 6-foot menorah Saturday night in Fountain Park, a ceremonial acknowledgment of the upcoming Jewish holiday that celebrates events from more than 2,000 years ago.
Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem after a successful revolt of the Jewish people against their oppressors.
Judaism’s eight-day Festival of Lights begins this year on Christmas Day, only the fourth time that has happened since 1900.
Saturday, Dec. 21 marked the beginning of the astronomical winter.
The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year.
In Chestertown, it also may have been the coldest day of 2024 with temperatures dropping into the teens overnight.
About two dozen people gathered in the downtown park on High Street for the ceremony that started at 5 p.m. Robert Davis gave the welcome and the history, message and meaning of Hanukkah. Cantor Gary Schiff led the blessings, candle lighting and songs, accompanied by Joan Skloot on a guitar.
The event was presented by the Chestertown Havurah and Main Street Chestertown.
Saturday’s brief ceremony was an affirmation of the approaching Jewish holiday.
The first candle was subsequently extinguished, and will be re-lit at sundown on Wednesday, Dec. 25, which is the first night of Hanukkah.
An additional candle will be lit on each successive night until, on the eighth night, Jan. 2, 2025, the menorah is fully illuminated.
— Photo by Trish McGee
One Response
Thanks for doing this 🕎💙