One of the delights for us, as Christmas draws near, is the service held at Bangor Cathedral, ‘Carols by a Thousand Candles’: we look forward to it every year. It must be one of the best attended ceremonies as there is barely an empty seat: this is no surprise – the interior is stunning with all the electric lights switched off and the only light source the twinkling church candles and masses upon masses of tealights (1,500 in all!). Add to this the ethereal sound of the choir, their voices gently filling this lovely ancient building, as their anticedents must have done down the centuries. There is the sense of a time continuum, which is at once comforting and uplifting.
Some of the carols were in Welsh and others in English. Some carols the choir sang alone but for others they were joined by the whole congregation. Experiencing so many people singing together is always a wonderfully emotional experience.
The Choir was mainly accompanied by the organ, but the choir master played piano during ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ and harp soloist, Angharad Wyn Jones, also occassionally accompanied them.
The conductor, Paul Booth, has raised the standard of singing considerably in recent years and he is looking for more boys and girls to swell the ranks.
Intermixed with the carols, there were readings by Catrin Hobson and the Very Reverend Alun J Hawkins. As with the carols, some of the readings were in Welsh and others in English: also, some were serious in content and others added a touch of humour and lightness to the evening. Catrin is our sister in law and in addition to reading well, she has a beautiful soprano voice, so it’s always a delight to be standing near her.
At the end of the service the Dean sent us away with her Christmas blessing and a final carol, ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’, for everyone. The electric lights were switched on and the magical atmosphere of the winking candlelight was gone until next year.
Bangor Cathedral is a small building compared to the likes of Durham or York, but its history is long and at times troubled: the first Christian church here was built, c530AD, by Deiniol, on land given to him by Maelgwyn, king of Gwynedd. c546 Deiniol was consecrated Bishop and his church becomes a cathedral.
It is worth visiting the website for Bangor Cathedral to find out more
Dorothy Russell
19 December 2013