I cannot tell you how many lights were lit last night on the Menorah here in Mallorca on the sunset before the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. The first of eight lights is lit on the first day of Hanukkah, this year beginning today, November 2nd, and lasting until November 9th. Many, many years ago, around 1375, close to fifteen percent of the total population of the Illes Balears celebrated this festival, also known as the Festival of Dedication.

The Gregorian calendar that we all follow nowadays begins the day at midnight whereas the day begins at sunset of the night before, according to the Jewish religion.

The photo (above) was taken at the Synagogue in Palma de Mallorca. The map (below) is based on a drawing made by Antoni Garau in 1644.

Happy Hanukkah.

The photo (top) was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 7th, 2008. The time was 13:33:10. The illustration (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of Wikipedia.

Thank you very much.