The lighting of the 25-foot Menorah takes place at 7:25 p.m. outside on the plaza, and there will be kids’ entertainment beforehand at 6:45 p.m. and a live musical performance and refreshments after the lighting. Everyone is welcome to this free, drop-in event. Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie will light the Hanukkah shamash (center helper) candle.
“This year Hanukkah starts on December 6th and ends on December 14th. The highlight will be the lighting of the giant Menorah – a nine-
branched candelabra – to celebrate the second night of Hanukkah,” said library communications officer, Shelley Civkin. Rabbi Avraham Feigelstock from Vancouver Kollel will officiate at the lighting ceremony.
There will be special entertainment for families and kids before the lighting, and a live musical performance and traditional Hanukkah snacks, including Sufganiot (Hanukkah doughnuts) and chocolate coins afterwards,” added Civkin. “And of course there will also be dreidels and chocolate coins for the kids.”
Hanukkah celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and spirituality over materiality. It is also known as the Feast of Dedication, commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Greeks in the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar. The festival of Hanukkah is observed by lighting the nine- branched Menorah. The tradition is to light one additional candle on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight Hanukkah candles on the final night. The ninth candle is called the shamash, and helps to light the other candles.
The giant 25- foot high Menorah, one of the world’s largest, was designed by the late architect Arthur Erickson. The Menorah was manufactured by Ebco Industries Ltd. in 1988. The Menorah, painted white, is made of tubular steel and is anchored to a solid steel base weighing 54,200 lbs.
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