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Costa Almeria Christmas celebration in Mojacar with Catholic and Anglican Festival of Nine Lessons

By Cathy Elelman • Published: 05 Dec 2019 • 17:30

MOJACAR’S Anglican and Catholic churches came together to celebrate one of the first events in the Christmas programme, the Festival of Nine Lessons. The festival focuses on the words from Genesis, which were read in both languages, interspersed with traditional Christmas carols from both cultures and singing by the Embrujo Mojaquero Choir. The celebration was officiated by the Santa Maria Catholic Church Priest, Miguel Jose Esteban Jerez, and the Reverend of San Pascual Anglican Church, Vincent Oram. As every year, many of the Catholic and Anglican faithful from Mojacar’s many different nationalities came along to together celebrate these advent dates as a prelude to some of the most important religious days of the year. Members of the local authority were among those attending, including the mayor Mayor Rosa Maria Cano and councillors Maria Luisa Perez, Ana Garcia, Raquel Belmonte, Agustin Montoya and Francisco Garcia Cerda. To add to the evening event, the traditional ‘belen’, or Church nativity scene had been put together by Mojacar’s parishioners. It features the work of renowned Murcian miniature model craftsmen Jesus Griñan Although the central figures of the nativity scene have been in the Church for some years, new depictions of Jesus’s life of have been acquired over time from the same sculptor, meaning it has evolved into a display of great artistic and cultural value. The Anglican tradition of holding the Nine Lessons Festival during the advent season dates back to 1880, when the Archbishop of Canterbury designed the service for Christmas Eve in Cornwall. The readings begin with the Old Testament and end with the Gospel of Luke, following the story of man’s fall and the promise of a new covenant with the birth of Jesus Christ.

MOJACAR’S Anglican and Catholic churches came together to celebrate one of the first events in the Christmas programme, the Festival of Nine Lessons.
The festival focuses on the words from Genesis, which were read in both languages, interspersed with traditional Christmas carols from both cultures and singing by the Embrujo Mojaquero Choir.
The celebration was officiated by the Santa Maria Catholic Church Priest, Miguel Jose Esteban Jerez, and the Reverend of San Pascual Anglican Church, Vincent Oram.
As every year, many of the Catholic and Anglican faithful from Mojacar’s many different nationalities came along to together celebrate these advent dates as a prelude to some of the most important religious days of the year.
Members of the local authority were among those attending, including the mayor Mayor Rosa Maria Cano and councillors Maria Luisa Perez, Ana Garcia, Raquel Belmonte, Agustin Montoya and Francisco Garcia Cerda.
To add to the evening event, the traditional ‘belen’, or Church nativity scene had been put together by Mojacar’s parishioners. It features the work of renowned Murcian miniature model craftsmen Jesus Griñan
Although the central figures of the nativity scene have been in the Church for some years, new depictions of Jesus’s life of have been acquired over time from the same sculptor, meaning it has evolved into a display of great artistic and cultural value.
The Anglican tradition of holding the Nine Lessons Festival during the advent season dates back to 1880, when the Archbishop of Canterbury designed the service for Christmas Eve in Cornwall. The readings begin with the Old Testament and end with the Gospel of Luke, following the story of man’s fall and the promise of a new covenant with the birth of Jesus Christ.       

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Cathy Elelman

Cathy Elelman is the local writer for the Costa de Almeria edition of the Euro Weekly News.

Based in Mojacar for the last 21 years, Cathy is very much part of the local community and is always well and truly up on all the latest news and events going on in this region of Spain.

Her top goals are to do the best job she can informing the local English-speaking community, visitors to the area and the wider world about about the news in Almeria, to learn something new every day, and to embrace very new challenge this fast-changing world brings her way.

Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews

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