Cincinnati, Ohio
Boar’s Head Festival (boarsheadcleveland.org)
The traditions of the Boar’s Head Feast and the Yule Log both date back many centuries, and celebrations of both can be found around the world. However, in the United States, no place celebrates the Boar’s Head and the Yule Log like the congregation of Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati, Ohio. Inaugurated in 1940, it is not only one of the longest running Boar’s Head feasts in the New World, it is one of the most authentic. It is in almost every respect a true step back into the Christmas as celebrated in England in the late Middle Ages.
Boar’s Head Festivals can be traced back to England in 1340, while Yule Logs go back to antiquity. In 1940, Reverend Nelson Burroughs, rector of the Episcopal Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati, organized a Boar’s Head feast to celebrate that tradition’s 600th birthday. It was a huge success with the congregation, who decided to make it an annual event. It has since become a major local celebration of the holiday season in Ohio.
Christ Church (wikipedia.com)
Since the beginning of the festival in the 1940s, authenticity has been an absolute must. Everything from the costumes and decorations to the food and the music must evoke 14th century England, at least as far as possible. There are over a hundred and fifty performers in full renaissance regalia; live entertainment featuring medieval music; homemade dishes made from century-old recipes; and a boar’s head (actually a hog’s head) fully prepared in grand Middle Ages style. All of it is set in the soaring, magnificent halls of the Christ Church Cathedral.
The Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival is usually given several performance in the weeks between Christmas and Epiphany. Tickets are given out on a first-come, first-served basis and are extremely difficult to come by. More specific information was not available as of the time of this writing. Web: www.boarsheadfestival.com (official website).
Tickets are not plentiful, but may be obtained without too much difficulty by arriving in person at Christ Church Cathedral on ticket distribution morning (generally, the second Saturday in December; check Christ Church’s website for details–Waiting for tickets is actually very enjoyable, as the organist plays Christmas carols and there is a history of the Festival given. Everyone tends to be in a jolly mood and friendly.
There are three performances of the Boar’s Head Festival–one on Saturday evening, one on Sunday afternoon and one on Sunday evening (four if you count the dress rehearsal performance on Saturday afternoon). The cathedral is generally packed for each performance, so get there early as they give away the tickets of latecomers (those not there at least 15 minutes before the performance) to any people waiting in the church’s lobby in the hope of getting a last-minute ticket.
While I have visited the church, I have not been to the festival, but I hear that it is really fun (which is why it gets a shout out). Good luck at this year’s event!