Sunday, November 29, 7:30 pm (Bethlehem Night)

Thursday, December 3, 7:30 pm

Saturday, December 5, 7:30 pm

Sunday, December 6, 4:00 pm & 7:30 pm

Experience the pageantry.

Share in singing. 

Witness the Christmas story. 

We welcome you come and join us for this wonderful precursor to the festival of our Savior's birth. For more information, call our church office @ 989-755-1144.  

The Story of the Boar’s Head Festival

Rooted in pagan times when the boar was the first dish served at a Roman feast, the colorful ceremony of the Boar’s Head became a part of the Christmas celebration in the great manor houses of the Middle Ages. The Christian Church endowed the custom with symbolic meaning and elevated it to the service of God, enriching the lives of all it touched. The ceremony sponsored by the Lord of the Manor became a Service of Praise to Jesus Christ, Lord of the Universe and Redeemer of the World.

In medieval England , the boar was a ferocious beast, a danger and menace to man and, therefore, the symbol of evil. The presentation of the boar’s head at Christmas time signified the triumph of the Christ-Child over sin.

No one knows who first planned the Boar’s Head Procession, but it is a matter of record that it was in use at Queen’s College, Oxford , shortly after the founding of the University in 1340, and there it continues to this very day.

The Festival came to America in colonial days where it was first observed in New England . Through Episcopal churches and schools, the ceremony was well established by late in the 19^th century. After much thought and preparation, Bethlehem Lutheran Church has continued this ancient tradition, giving it new life through the music, drama, and gifts shared with you by the many members of our congregation. This Festival is presented with the hope and prayer that it may be an offering of praise to the One whose Birth we soon celebrate and that it may witness of the joy we share in His Salvation.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church  - 808 Weiss Street - Saginaw, Michigan 48602
Phone (989) 755-1144 -- Fax (989) 755-3969