Christmas revels

18dec13 

There is this thing is Boston (or Cambridge technically) that I've known about forever but I'm slowly realizing is not that widely known. It's called the Revels. 

What is Revels?

Revels is song. Revels is dance.

Revels celebrates the seasons and cycles of human life through the arts, the songs and dances, and the stories from traditional cultures. Audiences recognize the events, desires, and dilemmas from another place and time as their own. Spring Sing hails the renewal of life and color. SummersDay Revels glories in abundance. RiverSingmarks cooler, darker days. The Christmas Revels welcomes the return of the light.

Copied from revels.org website. 

It's been going on for 43 yrs and always takes place at Sanders theater at Harvard. 

And it was great. I actually forgot how participatory it was which was fun. Some of the songs were tricky because they were in Spanish ( not a language I'm comfortable with) but it was awesome and I totally want to go again next year :-) 

Before I forgot this years story came from Spain and "the road". It was sort of the story of Don Quiotex. 

The 43rd annual Christmas Revels takes us to Galicia in Northern Spain, an area with a strong sense of Celtic identity where, since the Middle Ages, pilgrims have walked the Camino de Santiago (The Way of Saint James). Our story follows Everyman, a allegorical character summoned by a mysterious figure who tells him his days are numbered.  He must go on a journey to the end of the earth to be there for the shortest day. Needless to say, colorful encounters - and glorious music- abound!

Filled with evocative Spanish music, exciting dance and magical stories, our celebration includes a treasure trove of Galician processionals, songs and carols plus many Revelstouchstones audiences enjoy every year including Susan Cooper's classic poem,The Shortest Day, Dona Nobis Pacem,the Sussex Mummers Carol, a seriously funny Mummers play, and Revels' signature piece, the joyous and participatory Lord of the Dance.

Overall a great time :-)