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The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a format of Christian worship service celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and traditionally celebrated at Christmas. The story of the fall of man, the promise of the Messiah and the birth of Jesus is told in nine short Bible readings, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols and hymns. The format was based on an Order drawn up by E.W. Benson, later Archbishop of Canterbury, for Christmas Eve 1880 in Truro. It has since been adapted and used by other churches all over the world. In the UK, the service has become the standard format for schools' Christmas carol services.
The most famous version is broadcast annually from the chapel of King's College, Cambridge on Christmas Eve.
1 King's College, Cambridge
The first Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in King's College, Cambridge was held on Christmas Eve in 1918. The format did not differ substantially from the one known today. The service was first broadcast on the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1928Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 See also 1928 in aviation 1928 in film 1928 in literature 1928 in mu, and since the early 1930sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s Years: 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 Events and trends Technology Jet engine invented Link Trainer invented Sc has been broadcast live to many parts of the world on the BBC Overseas ServiceThe BBC World Service is one of the most widely recognised international broadcasters of radio programming, transmitting in 43 languages to around 150 million people throughout the world. The English service broadcasts 24 hours a day. Unlike the BBC's mai, as well as domestically on the Radio 4Radio stations 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It is broadcast on 92 95 MHz FM and 198 kHz longwave; and via DAB, satel. It is estimated that each year there are millions of listeners worldwide. There is also a television broadcast in the UK (on BBC channels Two and Four), although that is pre-recorded in early- or mid- December.
The service traditionally begins with the hymn Once in Royal David's City, with the first verse sung unaccompanied by a solo boy chorister, and ends with the hymn Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. The lessons are read by representatives of the college and of the City of Cambridge. The singing is divided into 'carols', which are sung by the choir, and 'hymns', sung by choir and congregation. A new carol or a new arrangement is frequently premiered at the service.
2 See also
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Christmas
