As Darlington School prepares to host its 23rd annual Festival of Lessons and Carols in December, it should be noted that the service actually originated more than 125 years ago in the English city of Truro...
As Darlington School prepares to host its 23rd annual Festival of Lessons and Carols in December, it should be noted that the 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 take place Sunday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. in Morris Chapel, and will feature the Darlington Singers, made up of fifth- and sixth-graders; the Darlington Chorale, a combination of the Men’s and Ladies Chorales; and the Darlington Ensemble, instrumentalists from the Upper School band.
“Lessons and Carols has become a wonderful tradition at Darlington that involves students from the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools,” said Sam Moss, dean of college guidance. “The service is built around nine biblical Lessons, beginning with the Creation in Genesis, and rising to the Incarnation, according to St. John. Between the readings, a series of carols and anthems is presented.”
At the conclusion of the service, it has become tradition for the congregation to proceed to the peninsula 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.
Admission to Darlington’s Festival of Lessons and Carols is free.