Bethesda-by-the-Sea hosts annual Boar's Head & Yule Log Festival

Horns echoed through the halls while jesters cartwheeled down the aisles during the 47th annual Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival on Saturday at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea.

A recreation of a medieval London Lord Mayor’s banquet ending with a performance of the Christmas nativity scene, close to 450 people attended the afternoon's event to cap off the holiday season.

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The Rev. Tim Schenk, the church’s rector, gave a brief introduction setting the stage. Schenck said the boar's head tradition stems from a medieval English tale about an Oxford University student who used a book to slay an attacking wild boar, then a symbol of evil in England.

“The head of the boar was then brought into a feast, where they celebrated good conquering evil,” Schenk said. Over time, Schenk explained, the presentation of the boar's head would become tied to Christmas, as a representation of Jesus Christ’s triumph over sin.

The festival performance began with a brass quintet garbed in red royal costumes, their horns echoing through the pews as the lights dimmed for the entrance of the Palm Beach Pipes and Drums accompanied by the Beefeaters.

Next came the procession of the boar's head, led by herald Albert Lee, and the Bethesda-by-the-Sea choir singing the "Board's Head Carol" as King Wenceslas (played by Mark Aliapopulios) made his way to the stage.

Soon after came the jesters, with faces painted white and dressed in black-and-gold costumes, cartwheeling and juggling colorful cloth. As their performance wrapped up, the church’s organ announced the entrance of the flag bearers alongside the dukes and duchesses.

Flags of Scotland, Wales and England decorated the stage while the aristocrats danced in the center pew. More than140 musicians and volunteer actors — many of whom are parishioners at Bethesda-by-the-Sea — took part in the performance.

“It’s truly become an intergenerational tradition, full of joy and happiness,” Schenk told the Daily News.

After the dance came the young huntsmen followed by the boar’s head, and then the Yule log, accompanied by a little army of Yule log pages as the choir and audience sang "Deck the Halls."

The Yule log's entrance on stage marked the beginning of the nativity performance. First the Star of the East, then Mary and Joseph, made their way to the stage as the choir accompanied each with their respective songs. They were joined by the shepherds, carrying two little lambs.

Completing the nativity performance was the entrance of the three kings, each with their own accompanying solo performance, and page. The third king's page, Teddy Clifford, elicited giggles throughout the audience as he continued to carry the king's robe even while his eyes were covered by his drooping headscarf.

The event ended with the singing of "O Come, All Ye Faithful" as the actors made their way out the church. Schenk brought out one more round of laughs as he skipped out of the church alongside sprite Evelyn Hayek.

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Stuart Forster, the church's music director, said couldn't be happier with how the festival came off. It's the second Boar's Head and Yule Log Festival he's help lead since joining the church's staff.

"It's just so much fun, all those happy faces dancing and falling in love with it (the performance), and it invites so many more people to come," Forster said.

Maria Bacinich, who played the cook for this year's performance, shared Forster's excitement.

"It was great, absolutely super," said the grinning Bacinich, who has taken part in the festival for 25 years in a row.

One group of those smiling faces mentioned by Forster was the Morejon family, who said it was their first time attending the festivities.

"We all really had a great time. It was so much fun," said Zuly Morejon.

Two more performances of the festival were held on Sunday.

Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at dlasa@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach's Boar's Head & Yule Log Festival returns for 47th year