No Boars Were Harmed in the Making of This Festival

Come celebrate another pagan festival co-opted by Christianity. The Boars Head and Yule Log Festival at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea (141 S. Country Road, Palm Beach) is Sunday. To be fair, this individual church did not actually co-opt the festival. That happened a few centuries ago. But you can now feel free to revel in pagan abandon secure in the knowledge that it won't get you kicked out of Christian heaven.

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Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea

141 S. County Road
Palm Beach, FL 33480

Category: Religion/Spirituality

Region: Palm Beach

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The point is, pagan festivals are superfun even when they take place in churches -- actually, especially when they take place in churches. There will be lords, ladies, beefeaters, shepherds, sprites, huntsmen, and every other ye olde character you can think of celebrating the Epiphany -- more than 160 cast members will perform reenactments of medieval London during a Lord Mayor's Banquet, which starts at 2:30 and again at 4:30 p.m.

Otherwise known as Twelfth Night, the Epiphany marks the night the three wise men arrived with their presents for baby Jesus. The boar's-head part of the fest comes from an old English tale about an Oxford student who fends off a raging boar with a copy of the works of Aristotle in a triumph of knowledge over brutish nature. Over time, Christian beliefs became intertwined with the tale, and the story became about faith conquering evil nature. Or something like that. Seats are first-come, first-served, and although the event is technically free, this is a church, and a $20 donation is recommended. Visit bbts.org, or call 561-655-4554.
Sun., Jan. 8, 2:30 & 4:30 p.m., 2012