Feast of Tabernacles in Wurzen

Review

This year brought something new and special. We had been invited by the Network for Democratic Culture (Netzwerk für Demokratische Kultur e.V.) in Wurzen to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles together.

To prepare for the event, I travelled to Wurzen one Monday afternoon to practise some Israeli dances with an intercultural women's group for the upcoming celebration. In our small group, we rehearsed three dances and had an absolutely wonderful time together.

I returned to Wurzen for the actual celebration. On the church lawn in front of Wenzlai Church, the Scouts had put up a traditional round tent called a yurt. Siri and Frauke, the two leaders of the women's group, had lovingly decorated the yurt and prepared a delicious buffet.

The visitors arrived and gathered inside our “Sukkah Yurt”. We began with some songs, and I explained why we celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, sharing a few interesting details about the festival.

Then it was time to eat and chat. Most of the people did not know one another, but the atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful.

Afterwards, it was time to dance! Those of us who had already practised the dances took the lead and showed the other visitors the steps. Before long, everyone was joining in.

After this joyful time together, we sang one more song and said our goodbyes. A truly lovely afternoon came to an end.

Kerstin Kluge