The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a format of Christian worship service celebrating the birth of Jesus and traditionally followed at Christmas. The story of the fall of man, the promise of the Messiah and the birth of Jesus is told in nine short Bible readings, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols and hymns.

The format was based on an Order drawn up by E.W. Benson, later Archbishop of Canterbury, for Christmas Eve 1880 in Truro. It has since been adapted and used by other churches all over the world. In the UK, the service has become the standard format for schools' Christmas carol services.

The most famous version is broadcast annually from the chapel of King's College, Cambridge on Christmas Eve.

King's College, Cambridge

The first Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in King's College, Cambridge was held on Christmas Eve in 1918. The format did not differ substantially from the one known today. The service was first broadcast on the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1928, and since the early 1930s has been broadcast live to many parts of the world on the BBC Overseas Service, as well as domestically on the Radio 4. It is estimated that each year there are millions of listeners worldwide. There is also a television broadcast in the UK (on BBC channels Two and Four), although that is pre-recorded in early- or mid- December.

The service traditionally begins with the hymn Once in Royal David's City, with the first verse sung unaccompanied by a solo boy chorister, and ends with the hymn Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. The lessons are read by representatives of the college and of the City of Cambridge. The singing is divided into 'carols', which are sung by the choir, and 'hymns', sung by choir and congregation. A new carol or a new arrangement is frequently premiered at the service.

See also

• Anglican church music

External link

• King's Chapel's page about the service