More than 2,000 candles illuminated the nave of Riverside Church on Sunday evening during its annual Candlelight Carol Festival.
The festival drew over 3,000 attendees, some from as far as South Korea, and featured music from four of the church?s musical groups over the course of two services. Rev. Arnold Thomas, the church?s minister of education, called it a celebration of light.
"This season, which marks one of the shortest days of the year, it?s good to experience light,? Thomas said. ?It really uplifts the spirit.?
The musical groups, along with nine vocal soloists, ten instrumentalists, and four handbell players, performed a selection that included a Nigerian Christmas carol and traditional favorites like ?Greensleeves? and ?Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.?
Two hours into the service, the lights turned off, and the churchgoers lit their candles and lifted them into the air during a rendition of ?Silent Night, Holy Night."
Watch a slideshow of the festival here.
Thomas said he values the festival?s sense of tradition, explaining that ?there are people who have been coming here for decades.? Retired physician and Harlem resident Ronald Lonesome, who has been a member of the church for a decade, attends the festival every year.
?I always look forward to it,? Lonesome said. ?Something about it is very soothing.?
The festival draws attendees not only from New York but from around the world as well, which the church?s director of communications, Allison Davis, attributed to strong publicity efforts. This year, those efforts which included getting the festival featured in the New York Times and Time Out New York. She said the festival started ?at least a generation ago? and has taken place every year since then.
"The former music director had sort of pulled this together as a way to bring in the Christmas holiday and a way to showcase the extraordinary musical talents at Riverside,? Davis said.
Davis said that the nave?s main level and two balconies were almost entirely full even though, Thomas noted, attendees had to buy tickets beforehand.
?This is one of those services, where, even though there?s payment to get in, there?s always a full house,? Thomas said. ?That warms my heart.?
Source: http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2011/12/19/riverside-church-holiday-festival-draws-thousands
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