Origins of the twelfth night festival

A 40 year-old community tradition held annually around the 12th day after Christmas, the Twelfth Night Festival is a celebration of the Nativity. Traditionally there are twelve days of Christmas. Twelfth Night is the “door” between Christmas and Epiphany (January 6th), the Christian feast celebrating the arrival of the Wise Men. Coming from distant lands, the Wise Men exemplified the showing forth of the newborn King, the recognition that the Christ is for all peoples.

Modeled on medieval pageants and feasts, the production includes hundreds of volunteer cast members from the congregation and the community, both in costume and behind the scenes.  The Christ Church choir is accompanied by more than two dozen volunteer singers from other congregations and by a professional chamber orchestra. Local performers including the William Allen High School Dancers and the City of Bethlehem Bagpipe Band are part of the production.

The Twelfth Night Pageant stands as a continuing memorial to Eleanor D. Kramp. It was she whose inspiration and foresight began our festival and kept us all to the task of making our yearly celebration into a gift for our congregation, friends, and community. The untiring efforts of many dedicated volunteers and the generosity of sponsors and benefactors have strengthened this production year after year. We are excited to welcome you along with many others during this special year of Twelfth Night!