Nonconformists typically had "Watchnight" services on New Year's Eve...
An Anglican parish near me is having one on NYE; never attended one so may go. It is combined with the Feast of Dedication -- is that the official Anglican name? I am used to the rather more direct Circumcision.
Christingle involves the handing out of specially decorated oranges, each item being symbolic, as is the orange. The tradition is Moravian.
Interestingly, while
the candle (always beeswax) wrapped in red paper that was the beginning of what became the Christingle is very much part of Moravian tradition in the US, the full-blown Christingle, with orange etc., isn’t at all. Perhaps it’s a specifically British Moravian tradition?
Maybe. I live in a rural hotbed (well all the churches have closed in the last 20 years but until 20 years ago there were three churches within 2 miles of my house) hotbed of rural English Moravianism. In two of the three villages the Moravians outlasted the Methodists.
It’s how Christingle is done round here, but we’ve got a sizeable residual population of people who are as post religious as much of the rest of the country, but they would acknowledge that the religion they are post (if that makes sense?) is Moravianism, so our CofE Churches are probably responding to that.
Incidentally, for US shipmates it might be worth pointing out exactly how rare the above post is. You could wander England for years and have pretty good odds of never going anywhere near a Moravian, never mind somewhere that was a Moravian church. Anyone with half a knowledge of English Moravianism could probably fill in the dots and know exactly where I’m talking about.
when I was a child in Scotland the 'Wee Frees' would have a Watchnight Service on 31st December about 11.30pm to welcome the New Year. (There would be no Christmas services round about the 25th December)
I think that the Church of Scotland would have had much the same but gradually after WW2 this changed to a Watchnight Service late on Christmas Eve and even sometimes a special service on Christmas Day.
The Watchnight Service was a relaxed mixture of Christmas hymns and stories (as far as I know)
At a Baptist church in London I attended in the 70s, we had a NYE "social" with food, games, home movies etc before starting our service at about 11.15pm.
Christingle may come from Christ light (as in ingle - an old word in German for fire =like 'inglenook' in English)
Or it may be a corruption of Christkindl - the little Christchild who in certain German speaking areas is said to bring presents to children.
Although started by a bishop of the Herrenhuter Brudergemeine (Moravian church) it is not a standard practice in Germany and where it is seen it has been often imported from England. Like many other cultural practices things go around and may come back to their place of origin in a different guise
Incidentally, for US shipmates it might be worth pointing out exactly how rare the above post is. You could wander England for years and have pretty good odds of never going anywhere near a Moravian, never mind somewhere that was a Moravian church. Anyone with half a knowledge of English Moravianism could probably fill in the dots and know exactly where I’m talking about.
Incidentally, for US shipmates it might be worth pointing out exactly how rare the above post is. You could wander England for years and have pretty good odds of never going anywhere near a Moravian, never mind somewhere that was a Moravian church. Anyone with half a knowledge of English Moravianism could probably fill in the dots and know exactly where I’m talking about.
The same is true in the US. There are two “epicenters” of Moravians in the US—the Northern Province is centered around Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and the Southern Province is centered around Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (Winston-Salem was originally two towns, Winston and Salem; Salem was the Moravian settlement). Between them, the Northern and the Southern Provinces have fewer than 200 congregations, as I understand it. So get too far from either Bethlehem or Winston-Salem and it’ll be very difficult to find a Moravian Church.
I can’t speak to Pennsylvania, but there are aspects of Moravian culture and tradition that are very well-known and commonly-seen (or eaten) throughout North Carolina, particularly around Christmas, even where there is no Moravian church nearby.
Meanwhile, New Year’s Eve Watchnight services are very traditional among Methodists and African American churches in the American South. The Methodists, who inherited the service from the Moravians, sometimes call it a Covenant Renewal Service.
Incidentally, for US shipmates it might be worth pointing out exactly how rare the above post is. You could wander England for years and have pretty good odds of never going anywhere near a Moravian, never mind somewhere that was a Moravian church. Anyone with half a knowledge of English Moravianism could probably fill in the dots and know exactly where I’m talking about.
Incidentally, for US shipmates it might be worth pointing out exactly how rare the above post is. You could wander England for years and have pretty good odds of never going anywhere near a Moravian, never mind somewhere that was a Moravian church. Anyone with half a knowledge of English Moravianism could probably fill in the dots and know exactly where I’m talking about.
The same is true in the US. There are two “epicenters” of Moravians in the US—the Northern Province is centered around Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and the Southern Province is centered around Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (Winston-Salem was originally two towns, Winston and Salem; Salem was the Moravian settlement). Between them, the Northern and the Southern Provinces have fewer than 200 congregations, as I understand it. So get too far from either Bethlehem or Winston-Salem and it’ll be very difficult to find a Moravian Church.
I can’t speak to Pennsylvania, but there are aspects of Moravian culture and tradition that are very well-known and commonly-seen (or eaten) throughout North Carolina, particularly around Christmas, even where there is no Moravian church nearby.
Meanwhile, New Year’s Eve Watchnight services are very traditional among Methodists and African American churches in the American South. The Methodists, who inherited the service from the Moravians, sometimes call it a Covenant Renewal Service.
AIUI one of the centres of 19th century Moravians in England (or maybe 18th, can’t remember) was Bedford. Two farmers from round me were selling cattle in Bedford - must be 50 miles (and they were droving so walking) met, courted and married two daughters of a senior Bedford Moravian. They brought the faith back with their wives and over time it obviously grew quite successfully to the extent that three very small neighbouring villages each ended up with their own Moravian church, alongside (in each) the CofE and the Methodists.
IIRC the Moravian churchyard in the next village is still publicly accessible despite being essentially in the garden of the people that now live in the church.
Ok had to look up the times:
Cristingle Workshop 3:00pm
Vigil Mass (including dressing up as Nativity Character) 4:00pm
Midnight mass 11:30pm
Christmas Day Mass 10:00 am
Reason for looking up:
Cristingle and Vigil for me, I think 11:00 a.m.
Midnight mass 10:00 pm
No I am not going to Christmas day mass. Agreement between Sacristans is I do the vigil and the Sacristan does Christmas Day.
At my church two Christingle services on Christmas Eve. Distressed by the number of discarded oranges in the churchyard post services (strangely no sweets also found here), we changed to using Satsumas and the wastage is down to zero.
At my church two Christingle services on Christmas Eve. Distressed by the number of discarded oranges in the churchyard post services (strangely no sweets also found here), we changed to using Satsumas and the wastage is down to zero.
Interesting. Might it be that satsumas are generally much easier to peel?
Our Scouts etc. Christingle service was once also noted for the discarded (and usually squashed) oranges - in the church, as well as outside! - but AFAIK they, too, use some sort of *easy peeler* now.
I know we can all be lazy, but my mind does kind of boggle at discarded oranges being strewn around the place...
My dwarf mandarin tree yielded, sans fertiliser, my laziness, a hundredfold crop this year which was nice -- I do rarely if ever buy oranges, despite my like for them, as mandarins are far easier to peel.
Comments
An Anglican parish near me is having one on NYE; never attended one so may go. It is combined with the Feast of Dedication -- is that the official Anglican name? I am used to the rather more direct Circumcision.
Maybe. I live in a rural hotbed (well all the churches have closed in the last 20 years but until 20 years ago there were three churches within 2 miles of my house) hotbed of rural English Moravianism. In two of the three villages the Moravians outlasted the Methodists.
It’s how Christingle is done round here, but we’ve got a sizeable residual population of people who are as post religious as much of the rest of the country, but they would acknowledge that the religion they are post (if that makes sense?) is Moravianism, so our CofE Churches are probably responding to that.
I think that the Church of Scotland would have had much the same but gradually after WW2 this changed to a Watchnight Service late on Christmas Eve and even sometimes a special service on Christmas Day.
The Watchnight Service was a relaxed mixture of Christmas hymns and stories (as far as I know)
Or it may be a corruption of Christkindl - the little Christchild who in certain German speaking areas is said to bring presents to children.
Although started by a bishop of the Herrenhuter Brudergemeine (Moravian church) it is not a standard practice in Germany and where it is seen it has been often imported from England. Like many other cultural practices things go around and may come back to their place of origin in a different guise
I can’t speak to Pennsylvania, but there are aspects of Moravian culture and tradition that are very well-known and commonly-seen (or eaten) throughout North Carolina, particularly around Christmas, even where there is no Moravian church nearby.
Meanwhile, New Year’s Eve Watchnight services are very traditional among Methodists and African American churches in the American South. The Methodists, who inherited the service from the Moravians, sometimes call it a Covenant Renewal Service.
AIUI one of the centres of 19th century Moravians in England (or maybe 18th, can’t remember) was Bedford. Two farmers from round me were selling cattle in Bedford - must be 50 miles (and they were droving so walking) met, courted and married two daughters of a senior Bedford Moravian. They brought the faith back with their wives and over time it obviously grew quite successfully to the extent that three very small neighbouring villages each ended up with their own Moravian church, alongside (in each) the CofE and the Methodists.
IIRC the Moravian churchyard in the next village is still publicly accessible despite being essentially in the garden of the people that now live in the church.
Cristingle Workshop 3:00pm
Vigil Mass (including dressing up as Nativity Character) 4:00pm
Midnight mass 11:30pm
Christmas Day Mass 10:00 am
Reason for looking up:
Cristingle and Vigil for me, I think 11:00 a.m.
Midnight mass 10:00 pm
No I am not going to Christmas day mass. Agreement between Sacristans is I do the vigil and the Sacristan does Christmas Day.
Interesting. Might it be that satsumas are generally much easier to peel?
Our Scouts etc. Christingle service was once also noted for the discarded (and usually squashed) oranges - in the church, as well as outside! - but AFAIK they, too, use some sort of *easy peeler* now.
My dwarf mandarin tree yielded, sans fertiliser, my laziness, a hundredfold crop this year which was nice -- I do rarely if ever buy oranges, despite my like for them, as mandarins are far easier to peel.