A World of Christmas from Our Boarding Community

This festive season, our boarding community has come together to create a special installation in the chapel, celebrating the rich diversity of their home and family traditions.

The display offers boarders, both local and from around the world, a chance to share how they celebrate the festive season with their fellow pupils.

Launched this week at our Artisan Craft Fayre, the installation features beautifully handmade and decorated works in paper, clay, and wood, crafted by the boarding houses.

We are pleased to share with you the words of our vibrant boarders:

“In Spain, on the 6th of January, the 3 Kings of the East, came to Jesus and gave him 3 presents: Gold, Incense and Myrrh”.

“In Provence, we have Santons, which are small, hand-painted clay figurines. traditionally handmade by local people, arranged to represent the villages. We place Jesus into the crib, during the night of the 24th December and at Epiphany we place the 3 Kings into the scene”.

“In Ukraine, we have different types of Christmas songs – koliadky (comes from the word calendar), to celebrate the birth of Christ and shchedrivky (comes from the Ukrainian word for generosity) for ‘Generous Evening’ on December 31st. It is believed that the more carollers who come to the house, the more fortune and wealth will be brought to the family the following year. One of the most famous Christmas melodies – ‘Carol of the Bells’, is originally a Ukrainian carol called Shchedryk (composed by Mykola Leontovych), and is based on ancient Ukrainian folk songs”.

“In France, a Yule Log is called – ‘Buche de Noël’. Historically, families burned a large wooden log on the fire, sprinkled with wine or spices for good luck — this tradition inspired today’s cake”.

“The symbol which represents Christmas traditions in Germany is the Christmas tree. We always get a massive one with fairy lights and decorations – it means a lot to me”.

“In Ukraine, traditionally, children prepare and perform ‘Vertep Performances’. Vertep is a portable puppet theatre and drama which presents the nativity scene and other mystery plays. The essential attribute of the vertep is the Christmas star, which is considered a symbol of joy, as it bears the news of the birth of Jesus”.

“In Germany, we celebrate Nikolaus on the 6th December, by putting shoes out and filling them with sweets”.

“In Hong Kong people go out for dinner to meet relatives or friends and after dinner, people will exchange gifts”.

“In Germany, we celebrate Christmas in a very big way. We go to church and eat together as a family, we eat Plätzchen – German Christmas biscuits and Lebkuchen – Gingerbread.”

“In Italy, we bake Cookies and eat a special cake, called a Panettone. We decorate our house with a big tree and a house with Jesus and Maria in it”.

“In France, we have ‘The 13 Desserts of Provence’: A Provençal tradition where families present a buffet of thirteen desserts after the Christmas meal, symbolising Jesus and the 12 apostles. It includes items like nougat, dried fruits, pompe à l’huile, candied fruits, and more. At Epiphany, we eat galette des rois, a frangipane tart or Provençal brioche with candied fruits. The youngest person hides under the table and says a name for each slice; whoever gets the fève becomes King or Queen for the day”.

“In Hong Kong, Christmas is a colourful celebration enjoyed by people of different cultures. Streets are decorated with stunning Christmas Lights and decorations. People watch the spectacular light shows along the Victoria Harbour. Friends and family love to go out to take pictures. Hong Kong has a mix of Western and local traditions, which makes Christmas in HK a joyful and unique festival”.

For Truro School pupils, the display is available to see in the entrance to the chapel. Please do take a look at this beautiful Christmas celebration of boarding memories and traditions.

Thank you to everyone in the boarding houses who participated towards the display, and to Rev Helen for bringing everyone together!