CINCINNATI — The 83rd annual Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival takes center stage tonight and tomorrow.
The performance will be held at the Christ Church Cathedral, but the performance didn’t originate in Cincinnati.
“The tradition came over from England and had been going on over there for 600 years,” said Anne Jaroszewicz with the Christ Church Cathedral.
She added around 400 people attend each ticketed performance. She noted the event is free, but the church can only seat so many people in the pews.
“Walk-ins are welcome for any of the shows because we typically have, again, about 10 percent of people who can’t use their tickets,” she said.
Jaroszewicz said the church will also livestream the Sunday performances on their website, so people can watch from home.
“There is something so spiritual about this experience for me and everyone who does it. The music is so powerful," Jaroszewicz said. "It’s an opportunity at the end of the Christmas season to kind of sing some of your favorite Christmas songs one more time. But, the symbolism of carrying the light of Christ back out into the world at the end is so meaningful.”
She said the performance starts with a pageant as if you were coming into a manor home to enjoy a Christmas feast with the lord and lady of the manor. Then, a boar’s head appears on a large tray. The performance transitions into a quiet and somber moment back into the dark ages. Jaroszewicz said the show will take you back all the way to the birth of Christ.
There will be two shows on Saturday at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. The last two shows will be on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.
