Several Cathedrals have been bathed in light during Advent, as design production companies project stunning colourful shows onto the exterior of historic buildings and then inside, where sound is added for an “immersive experience”.
Leicester, Bristol and Liverpool cathedrals were among several which hosted shows, as well as Lichfield Cathedral, where the light show is an annual event. There, visitors are encouraged to tour the cathedral, see the nativity tableau and avenue of Christmas trees for an all-round family experience.
15,000 visitors are attracted each year and the Dean, Jan McFarlane, said the combination of events is an attempt to enable people to find their place in the Christmas story. Read Angela Youngman’s article on cathedral light shows here.
The Association of English Cathedrals has published a picture each day during Advent, of angels found in cathedrals, as sculptures, carvings or art, including in stained glass windows. This picture is of gilded wooden angels on the organ case at Wells Cathedral, believed to have been made by Mr. J. Forsyth of London, in 1857. In Britain, one in three people believe in angels. More here.
Christmas Tree festivals, where avenues of trees line cloisters and passageways, are also an annual event. At Worcester (pictured) trees are sponsored by local businesses. At Chester, the cathedral invited local schools and businesses to decorate a tree on the theme of “Discovering Christmas – what Christmas means to you”.
People were also invited to decorate trees in Sheffield, Carlisle (for the first time) and Beverley Minster, which awarded prizes including one to a tree decorated by the Ukrainian community.
Christmas Eve mass, the Christmas Day service and the traditional Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols are provided everywhere. At St Paul’s, services are so popular, people have to enter a ballot for tickets. There’s a wide variety of music on offer, including The Messiah at Rochester, St Paul’s and Exeter; Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and the folk band Medieval Babes at Newcastle; Beer and carols outside Bristol Cathedral; G4 is holding a concert at Norwich Cathedral; and at Chester, Bublé Christmas by Candlelight and Motown Live, alongside the carols. Several are trying out teatime carols or a shoppers’ carol service. And in Manchester, The Sunday Boys present “A Very Queer Christmas”.
And then there are crib services and nativity plays, this one at Salisbury Cathedral. A modern day interpretation of the nativity scene was put on by Lichfield Cathedral staff, with shepherds in hi-vis jackets, angels relaying the message via mobile phones and Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus in front of a hospital building. And in Exeter, two llamas took to the stage and were the stars of the show, according to their handler Maggie Jee, who told the BBC: “They have a sort of calming aura”.
Pics courtesy of Lichfield, Wells, Worcester, Chester and Salisbury Cathedrals, and the Association of English Cathedrals
