CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Here in the Coastal Bend, holiday celebrations wrap up this Saturday with the annual Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival at the First Christian Church (3401 Santa Fe St.).
For the 38th year locally, performances will recognize the Epiphany, a Christian observance in honor of the coming of the three kings to visit the child, Jesus.
This tale was first told in 1340 during a feast at Oxford to celebrate a student’s victory over a wild and raging boar. The present-day festival results from an amalgamation of several antique celebrations turned into a procession of dances and music, joining traditions of Old England with the Christian joy at the birth of Christ.
The audience is enveloped in this festive mirth as more than 260 cast, crew and musicians -- many in authentic Renaissance costumes -- play a part in the hour-long pageant, recreating a medieval manor house and celebrating this legend that unfolds with energy and momentum into a dramatic and symbolic finale.
A chorus and orchestra (employing some instruments of the 14th century) provide music from the period.
The audience is also invited to participate in the singing of Christmas carols during the festival, marking the end of the Christmas season in the Coastal Bend.
Admission to the festival is free. However, donations of non-perishable food items will be accepted on behalf of the “Good King Wenceslas” fund, which are donated to the Coastal Bend Food Bank.
Doors open an hour before Saturday’s 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. performances in the church sanctuary.
