Boar's Head Festival
Zion Lutheran Church annually presents the "Boar's Head Festival" in December. There are over 150 members of Zion and the community who share the good news of Christ's birth through singing, dancing and music.
The Boar's Head Festival is a medieval celebration with the presentation of the boar's head symbolizing triumph of the Christ Child over sin and the devil. Zion's church sanctuary will be transformed into a Gothic manor house. Torchbearers greet guests as they approach the main church doors. The celebration involves lords and ladies, servants, jesters, dancers and the great King Wenceslas. There will be singing, dancing, elaborate costumes and the presentation of the Yule Log by the Beefeaters. Everyone is invited to experience this festival, not simply watch it. Make this part of your preparation for Christmas.
Previous performances were extremely well attended and received. The performances are free to the public, but reservations are required because of limited seating. A freewill offering will be taken and a reception of cookies and wassail will follow each performance.
The Story of the Boar's Head Festival
The colorful Boar's Head ceremony became part of the Christmas celebration in the great manor houses of the Middle Ages but had its roots in pagan times when the boar was the first dish served at a Roman feast. The church endowed the custom with symbolic Christian meaning and elevated it to the service of God, enriching the lives of all it touched. Sponsored by the Lord of the Manor, the ceremony became a Service of Praise to Jesus Christ, Lord of the Universe and Redeemer of the World.
In Medieval England the ferocious boar was sovereign of the forest, a menace to man and symbol of evil. The presentation of the boar's head at Christmas signifies triumph of the Christ Child over sin.
No one knows who planned the first Boar's Procession, but it was in use at Queen's College, Oxford, England, shortly after that University was founded in 1340 and continues to be presented there today.
The ceremonies attending the presentation of the boar's head grew and became more elaborate over the centuries. The Yule Log lighted at Christmas with embers burning all year symbolizing Christ as the "Light of the World", the wise men and shepherds, good King Wenceslas and his page, and the Beefeaters - English ceremonial guards - were all added over the years.
The Festival was first observed in America in colonial New England and became well established through Episcopal churches and schools by the late 19th century, particularly at the Hoosac School in Hoosick, New York.
The Boar's Head Christmas Festival spread from early beginnings to be celebrated in many Christian settings throughout the United States. Zion Lutheran Church brings this ancient tradition to Marengo, adding our voices, music and drama with the prayer that it be an offering of praise to the One who birth we celebrate and a witness to the joy we share in His Salvation. We offer the Christmas message told through the Boar's Head Festival as our gift through Christ to Marengo and the surrounding communities.
