Christingle service lights up Christmas

With Christmas day fast approaching families and worshippers gathered at St Congan's Episcopal Church in Turriff on Sunday to take part in the annual Christingle service.

The service was led by Mary Murray and it began children being asked to the front of the church to help to light candles on the Advent wreath.

The candle is lit every Sunday for four weeks before Christmas, with a pink one to represent the Virgin Mary and is a special white one on Christmas Eve to represent the light of Jesus coming into the world.

Near the end of the service the candles in the Christingles were lit and all the other lights in the church were turned off after they had been handed out.

The Christingle is made up so that: the orange symbolises the world, the candle the light of Christ, the four sticks stuck into the orange represent the four seasons of the year, the sweets and dried fruit represent the fruits of the season, the foil represents us as Jesus wants us to stay close to him and be part of the world and the red band the blood of Christ.

Carols were sung including Away In A Manger, Silent Night and the Christingle hymn It's Rounded Like an Orange.

There was also musical entertainment from two thirds of Bedlam Howe (Ramsay Tvedt and Mike Rodgers) who performed The Holly and the Ivy to an earlier tune.

After the Service there was time for a chat, homebakes and a warming cup.

The collection money from the Christingle is to go to children’s charities.

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