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Holiday season brings Lessons & Carols
Dec 3, 2013 4:07 PM
By Tannika King - Faculty
To kick off the holiday season, Darlington School will host its 30th annual Festival of Lessons & Carols on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m. in Morris Chapel. Admission is free.
“Lessons and Carols has become a wonderful tradition at Darlington that involves students of all ages,” said Sam Moss ('63), dean of college guidance. “The service is built around nine biblical lessons. Between the readings, a series of carols and anthems is presented.”
This service actually originated more than 125 years ago in the English city of Truro. In 1918, King’s College, Cambridge University, adopted the service, and the following year, they began the tradition of opening with the hymn “Once in a Royal David’s City.” Credit for the world-fame of the Lessons and Carols service belongs to the BBC, which began broadcasting the King’s College service worldwide in 1928.
Sponsored by the Darlington “Y” Cabinet, this year’s service will feature the 4th and 5th Grade Chorus, the Concert Choir and the Upper School Brass Ensemble. Musical highlights include “ Angels We Have Heard on High," "Once in Royal David's City" and "O Come, All Ye Faithful.”
At the conclusion of the service, it has become tradition for the congregation to proceed outside for the Lighting of the Great Tree and caroling. This ceremony honors the lives of the late Dr. and Mrs. E.L. Wright, who began this tree-lighting tradition and who served Darlington for over 40 years. Dr. Wright was Darlington’s headmaster from 1920 until 1954, and president from 1954 to 1963.
If you are unable to attend this event in person, you are in luck! For the fourth consecutive year, Darlington School will stream its annual Lessons and Carols service live on the web. Simply bookmark this page (or type www.darlingtonschool.org/carols into your browser) and click the “Watch Lessons & Carols Live” link to enjoy it in real time. Live streaming will begin at 6:45 p.m. If you are unable to watch live because of a previous engagement, that’s okay, too. We will also post the full video along with event photos in a gallery on Darlington’s Web site.
“Lessons and Carols has become a wonderful tradition at Darlington that involves students of all ages,” said Sam Moss ('63), dean of college guidance. “The service is built around nine biblical lessons. Between the readings, a series of carols and anthems is presented.”
This service actually originated more than 125 years ago in the English city of Truro. In 1918, King’s College, Cambridge University, adopted the service, and the following year, they began the tradition of opening with the hymn “Once in a Royal David’s City.” Credit for the world-fame of the Lessons and Carols service belongs to the BBC, which began broadcasting the King’s College service worldwide in 1928.
Sponsored by the Darlington “Y” Cabinet, this year’s service will feature the 4th and 5th Grade Chorus, the Concert Choir and the Upper School Brass Ensemble. Musical highlights include “ Angels We Have Heard on High," "Once in Royal David's City" and "O Come, All Ye Faithful.”
At the conclusion of the service, it has become tradition for the congregation to proceed outside for the Lighting of the Great Tree and caroling. This ceremony honors the lives of the late Dr. and Mrs. E.L. Wright, who began this tree-lighting tradition and who served Darlington for over 40 years. Dr. Wright was Darlington’s headmaster from 1920 until 1954, and president from 1954 to 1963.
If you are unable to attend this event in person, you are in luck! For the fourth consecutive year, Darlington School will stream its annual Lessons and Carols service live on the web. Simply bookmark this page (or type www.darlingtonschool.org/carols into your browser) and click the “Watch Lessons & Carols Live” link to enjoy it in real time. Live streaming will begin at 6:45 p.m. If you are unable to watch live because of a previous engagement, that’s okay, too. We will also post the full video along with event photos in a gallery on Darlington’s Web site.
