First Christmas recalled
Christchurch Cathedral was filled with children yesterday, gathered on hay bales in the aisles and on parents’ knees to watch the recreation of the first Christmas. The service was for children, and they made the most of it, reaching out to touch the ram,
goat, and donkey brought from Willowbank Wildlife Reserve.
Mary and Joseph arrived to “Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem” and the Dean of Christchurch, the Very Rev. Dr David Coles, reminded his congregation, “If there were no Jesus, there would be
no Christmas.” The Arts Centre Boys’ Choir sang two sets of songs. The Wise Men have changed with the times. They arrived yesterday claiming to be a Wellington politician, an Auckland millionaire, and a female professor from
England, but their message was the same. “Merry Christmas” was the shout as Mary and Joseph walked past the Christmas tree, where many people have already left presents for the needy of Christchurch.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19861224.2.62
Bibliographic details
Press, 24 December 1986, Page 5
Word Count
157First Christmas recalled Press, 24 December 1986, Page 5
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Copyright in all Footrot Flats cartoons is owned by Diogenes Designs Ltd. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise these cartoons and make them available online as part of this digitised version of the Press. You can search, browse, and print Footrot Flats cartoons for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Diogenes Designs Ltd for any other use.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.