St. Mary’s Episcopal Church will stage its annual Boar’s Head Festival for the 25th year on Jan. 5.
Already ancient in tradition when presented at Queens College, Oxford, in 1340, the Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival is probably the oldest continuing festival of the Christmas season.
The pageant has its roots in ancient times when the board was sovereign of the forest. A ferocious beast and menace to humans, it was hunted as a public enemy. At Roman feasts, boar was the first dish served. Like our Thanksgiving turkey, roasted boar was a staple of medieval banquet tables. As Christian beliefs overtook pagan customs in Europe, the presentation of the Boar’s head at Christmas time came to symbolize the triumph of the Christ Child over sin.
The festival, as we know it, grew out of an ancient legend: an Oxford University student was charged by a wild boar as he strolled through the forest on his way to Christmas Mass. Quick thinking, the student thrust his heavy volume of Aristotle down the animal’s throat, ending its deadline threat. This victory of reason over brute force was celebrated in a great feast at the College, and the boar’s head, finely garnished, was carried into the dining room “… in honor of the King of bliss.”
The boar’s head tradition was carried on in many of England’s great manor houses, and grew to include a host of characters from all walks of life-lords, ladies, knights, cooks, huntsmen, and the like. Shepherds and Wise Men were added to tell the story of the Nativity. The whole was then embellished with carols sweetly sung and Yuletide traditions, both savory and symbolic. It was in this form, as an elaborate Christmas celebration for family and friends, that the festival was brought to colonial America by the Bouton family, persecuted French Huguenots who had learned of the custom during a period of exile in England. The Boutons settled in Troy, New York, and were closely connected with the Episcopal Church and its schools, including Hoosac School, where their descendant became Rector in 1888. The first known public presentation of the Boar’s Head in America was at Hoosac School, Hoosick, New York, in 1892.
This rich tradition came to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in the 650th anniversary of the original production at Queens College. This is the 25th year of our production. Again this year, St. Mary’s Church is proud to offer The Board’s Head and Yule Log Festival on Sunday, January 5, 2014, at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Invite your family and friends to this delightful celebration of the meaning of Christmas.
Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival – 25th anniversary
Sunday, January 5
3 pm and 5 pm – Free to the public
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church
800 Roundtree St.
Upcoming events:
Saturday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m.
Stars Dance for the Arts at the Arts Center
Sunday, Jan. 26 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
15th Annual “Soup and a Bowl” at the Arts Center
Saturday, Feb. 8 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 9 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Annual model train show at the Arts Center, sponsored by KARMA, an umbrella organization of the Arts Council