Welcome to Christmas Around the World International Carol

Welcome to Christmas Around the World International Carol Concert Please turn off your mobile phone or pager

O Come All Ye Faithful

Child, for us sinners poor and in the manger, We would embrace Thee, with love and awe; Who would not love Thee, loving us so dearly? O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Please be seated

Christmas in France There is a custom that the log and candles are left burning all night with some food and drinks left out in case Mary and the baby Jesus come past during the night.

Christmas in France The main Christmas meal, called Réveillon, is eaten after everyone has returned from the midnight Church Service on Christmas Eve. Another celebration in France is that 13 different desserts are eaten! All the desserts are made from different types of fruit, nuts and pastries.

O Holy Night Oh Holy Night, ‘Cantique de Noel’, was composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847 to the poem ‘Minuit chrétiens’ written by his friend Placide Clappeau, a commissioner of wines in a small French town.

O Holy Night

O Holy Night On 24 December 1906 Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian inventor, broadcast the first AM radio programme which included him playing O Holy Night on the violin. There is a possibility that this was the first song ever broadcast over radio.

O Holy Night

O Holy Night

O Holy Night

O Holy Night

O Holy Night

Imbeni Haleluya - Mwokozi Yesu Amezaliwa Imbeni Haleluya Mwokozi Yesu amezaliwa Huyo Mwokozi imbeni Haleluya Malaika Wamesema Atuokoe toka kwa dhambi Oh mwokozi x 2 Amezaliwa leo Mwanawake Mungu Yesu Kombozi Twendeni Bethlehemu, tukamwone Yesu Bwana Huyo Mkombozi imbeni Haleluya

Sing Halleluiah Our Saviour Jesus Christ is born He is The Saviour sing Halleluiah The Angels proclaim He has come to deliver us from our sins Oh Deliverer x 2 Is born today The son of God, Messiah the deliverer is born Let us go to Bethlehem, to see our Lord Jesus Christ He is The Saviour sing Halleluiah

Christmas in Greece

Christmas in Italy In Italy for twenty-four hours before Christmas people fast. This is followed by Christmas Eve dinner called a Cennone. This feast includes fish, pasta, vegetables, fresh fruits and special sweets and cakes. Special prayers and church services called "novena" last for nine days prior to Christmas. Mass is celebrated on Christmas morning.

Ave Maria – Greece/Italy Hail Mary or Angelic Salutation is from the Greek and then later Latin Ave Maria (Salutatio Angelica) and is a traditional Catholic and Eastern Orthodox prayer calling for the intercession of Mary, the mother of Jesus. It developed in the Middle Ages as a Gregorian monks chant and is based on Luke 1: 28.

Ave Maria – Greece/Italy

Ave maria Gratia plena Dominus tecum Benedicta tu in mulieribus Et benedictus fructos ventri tui jesus Santa maria. . . Maria Ora pro nobis Nobis pecatoribus Nunc et in ora, In ora mortis nostrae Amen….

During slavery ham was cured by smoking it in large baskets called kreng-kreng over a slow fire. Pimento was heavily used in spicing the meat. Today, ham continues to be a delicious dish on many Christmas dinner tables in Jamaica accompanied by rice and gungo peas, along with a drink of sorrel.

Here is a very, very simple song I’d like to sing for you And before it finish You will want to sing it too (The song goes)

I know this pretty little tune Is simple as can be Its easy, easy as ABC So sing along with me (Sing along now)

Mother, Father, Sister, Brother Raise your voice and sing Peace, Goodwill to everybody Glory to the King

Refreshments served in the Gallery upstairs

The song has been one of only three that have been one million sellers for two different artists - Harry Belafonte (1957) and Boney M (1978) and it is a popular reggae carol in Jamaica.

Christmas Day called 'Bada Din' (Big Day) in Hindi is a national holiday in India and people from all religions join their Christian friends to make the most of the joyous celebrations. During Christmas in India, most of the Churches are found decorated with poinsettias and lit with candles for the Christmas Eve service.

The Christmas tree plays an important part in the holiday tradition. Often times it is topped by a star to represent the Star of Bethlehem, or by an angel which announces the birth of Christ. Many family trees have ornaments from more than one generation.

The song was born in the oral culture of African slaves in the American south. It was embraced by the civil rights movement in the 1960's.

African American composer John Wesley Work is credited with formally adapting the song and including it in ‘Folk Songs of the American Negro’ songbook in 1907.

Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere. Go, tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born. While shepherds kept their watching o'er silent flocks by night, beyond, throughout the heavens There shone a holy light.

The words and lyrics of the old Xmas carol "Joy to the World" were written in 1719 by Isaac Watts. The father of John Watts was a Non-conformist and so extreme were his views that he was imprisoned twice.

Believe it or not Jingle Bells, one of the most famous American Christmas songs, was originally written for Thanksgiving! The author and composer of Jingle Bells was a minister called James Pierpoint who composed the song in 1857 for children celebrating his Boston Sunday School Thanksgiving. The song was so popular that it was repeated at Christmas.