BY HILLARY VIDERS
SPECIAL TO NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
TENAFLY, N.J. —— On Thursday, Dec. 14, Tenafly hosted a winter holiday parade that featured many cultures and holiday traditions. Dozens of residents and visitors gathered in Huyler Park for the parade, as a fire engine came roaring down Washington Street with its lights and sirens going full force.
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In a flash, there was Santa, along with the fire department’s dalmation fire dog mascot and Hercules Invictus, the Herald of the Chamber of Commerce, who got the party started. The newly-fallen snow on the ground and the brisk chill air made the wintry scene look like a Hallmark greeting card.
The parade’s theme of “Celebrating our Differences Together” was evident throughout the evening. Spectators were entertained by the Madrigal and Diwali singers. They also heard a Muslim prayer, watched a menorah lighting and stood over a Blessing of the Creche.
The first featured group was the Tenafly High School Madrigal Singers, a group of high-spirited teenagers sporting Santa caps and reindeer antlers. As they sang Christmas carols, the audience grew steadily and then began fanning out around the park.
A particularly symbolic moment took place when Rabbi Mordechai Shain, executive director of Chabad on the Palisades, recited the Hanukkah blessings as the large menorah was lit. Shain told a moving story about a boy who confessed to his father than he had put his younger brother who was taller than he was in a pit. “Why did you do such a thing?” the father asked. The son answered, “I put my brother in the pit because I wanted to be taller than he is.” Whereupon the father said, “If you want to be taller, never put anyone down! You should pull out a chair and stand on it!” Shain explained that the message to be derived from this tale is that “In the coming year, we should all lift ourselves higher.”
The crowd then migrated to the other end of the park to hear Father Dan O’Neill, O.Carm., from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Tenafly recited the blessing over the creche while Santa illuminated his prayer book with small flashlight. The bright light illuminating the nativity scene was even more dramatic set against the backdrop of the pitch black sky.
Near the center of the park, people flocked to get cups of hot cocoa provided by the Clinton Inn. Delicious cookies from Millers were also on hand, bringing smiles to the children’s faces and lending a cheerful boost to the chilly winter night.
Nearby the refreshment table, a Muslim Tenafly resident, Sultana Ahmed, recited a prayer from the Koran.
The evening brought together many neighbors and friends. It was hosted by the Tenafly Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by over a dozen local restaurants, businesses and families including, Axia Taverna, the Barrett Family, the Clinton Inn, Goldstein Jewelers, Tenafly Classic Diner, Abbott Painting, Angie Papandrikos, DDS, Dr. Ross Markowitz, Floor & Decor, the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, Security Services, Tenafly Pediatrics and Zestt.
Photos by Hillary Viders