Menorah lighting marks first night of Hanukkah

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Tuesday night was the first night of Hanukkah, and to celebrate the community came together for a menorah lighting in downtown Wilmington.

Dozens came out for the event, including Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo.

The celebration included donuts, hot cocoa, hot latkes, and music at Riverfront Park.

The main event was lighting a menorah sculpted out of ice.

Chabad of Wilmington Rabbi Moshe Lieblich said the event has been happening for almost a decade in our area, and had this to say about the meaning behind the event.

“This holiday goes back a couple thousand years, and the Jewish people had a temple in Israel and they were being ruled by the Greeks, and they defiled the temple and eventually a small group of Jews called the Maccabees, they fought them back and it was a miraculous victory for the small number of people to defeat the great, big army. There’s a menorah in the temple, a special candelabra that we use special oil to light the menorah with. Back then without trains or cars it took, you know, four days to get to the place to make the oil and four days to come back. They only had oil for one day. They needed it to burn for eight days and a miracle happened and oil that was supposed to burn for one day burned for eight days, giving them time to get new oil and come back. So we celebrate the miracle of the oil burning for eight days, as well as the miracle for the victory of the few over the many, light over darkness, and good over evil,” Lieblich said.

Hanukkah lasts for eight nights.

One candle is lit on the first night, and every night another candle is added, so on the final night eight candles on the menorah are lit.