Bishop to join Orston’s live ‘Nativity Pageant’

Real sheep, horses and a donkey will take part in this year’s nativity pageant – which is a long standing tradition for Orston Village.

The Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham will join the community of Orston at the annual nativity pageant on Christmas Eve (December 24th ) this year.

Bishop Paul will attend the 46th Nativity Pageant which begins in front of Orston Village Hall at 6.15pm, when he will speak to launch the event and during the service held at the end in St Mary's Church.

Vicar of St Mary’s church and the Cranmer Group of churches, the Revd Karl Przywala said: “I believe that this is the first time that a Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham has attended the Pageant, which is a significant local event involving many people. I am greatly encouraged by the support our bishops give to the Church at parish level; we warmly welcome Bishop Paul as one who shares our ministry of making Christ better known.”

The Orston Pageant started in 1965 and was originally devised and created by The Orston "Toc H" Group. The pageant is played by local people taking the roles of characters in the nativity story from Mary and Joseph to angels and shepherds. The characters move from the village hall to the church yard, where Mary rides on a donkey and the magi are on horseback. The scene will also included some real sheep on loan from a local farm.
 
The pageant ends when the church bells ring at the end of the story and all the cast and congregation go into the church. A passage from Saint Luke is read explaining the presentation at the temple. The child is the presented to Simeon who says the Nunc Dimittis. There follows a short act of worship with carols and a sermon and a reading of John 1 v 1.

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