The annual Christmas carol sing-a-long in High Town, Hereford took place last Wednesday evening. The celebration this year included a group of Keralan Christians who have moved to the city shared traditional Malayalam songs.
Each year, Churches Together in Hereford invites churches from across the city to gather around the Christmas tree to sing carols. The tradition continued this year, with the Keralan guests invited to join the gathering.
Paul Akhil, a member of Churches Together Hereford said: “It was wonderful to hear different voices sharing a different tradition of music.”
The group sang ‘Doore Ninnum’ (which translates as ‘From Far Away’) and Kannum Kannum (The first line of this song translates as ‘Angels in the Paths of Skies’). These are traditional songs enjoyed as part of Christmas celebrations amongst Christians from Kerala, India.
Paul adds: “As Christians we are taught to welcome everyone as Christ himself. It is wonderful to gather together again. It doesn’t matter where you are from, the joy is being able to share in the celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas.
“Even the shoppers stopped to listen. Some even joined in with the traditional well-known words."
To find a church service near you this Christmas, you can visit the Church of England’s website A Church Near You or visit one of the city’s many churches.