A group of people gathered for a special outdoor Christingle service in nature on the beach at Minehead last week. The service organised by Children and Families worker in Minehead, Jules Perry took place around the campfire with the aim of bringing families together to learn about what the Christingle represents with the help of the natural environment. The event was supported by The Exmoor Youth Project as well as Rev Kenneth Cross and Nicola Butcher from Alcombe.
Jules said, “It was a blessing to once again have so many people attend an event at the beach. During the service, we looked up to the sky and took in the beauty of the evening. There were no stars, but we were stood beneath a pink sky and a full moon. We all thought about what it may have been like before God created our world. It was a really relaxed service, allowing time for people to share stories.”
Christingle celebrations are named after the Christingles that are lit during the ceremony. They are made from oranges wrapped in red tape, decorated with dried fruit or sweets, with a candle on the top. The red ribbon symbolises the love and blood of Christ. The sweets and dried fruit represent all of God's creations. The lit candle symbolises Jesus's light in the world, bringing hope to people living in darkness.
On the beach in Minehead there was hot chocolate, and mulled wine to keep people warm and mince pies for sustenance. As the sun went down the group lit sparklers. It was a celebration for the whole family, young and old from the youngest child to the oldest grandparent. The group we spoke about the sweets that are on a traditional Christingle, and shared stories of gifts they had been given in the past.
Jules gave a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who went along to the beach to take part in this unusual Christingle service on the beach.