Immanuel Lutheran Celebrates Boar's Head Festival 25th Anniversary

Over the past 25 years, many St. Charles residents have made the Boar’s Head Festival at a part of their Christmas traditions.

Al Loesel, the church’s music director, said that hundreds of church members participate in the grand event each year.

“We’re celebrating the 25^th anniversary this year,” Loesel said. “In addition to our regular festival, we’ll have displays of costumes that w e have in reserve from years ago and some that we acquired from other places.”

Loesel said there will also be a special extended program in honor of the event’s 25^th anniversary, and the church had a Boar’s Head Festival anniversary Christmas ornament made featuring a scene in which the king is worshipping the Christ child.

“We also had a 25^th anniversary DVD produced that features interviews with people who have participated over the years, as well as photos and video of festivals from throughout the 25 years,” Loesel said. “We think we have enough luminaries to light up the whole block, and we’re going to surround our buildings with them.”

Loesel said that the most exciting thing for him as the music director is that the children’s choirs are doing a couple of pieces with the adult choir and the orchestra.

“That will happen before the show,” he said. “People come about an hour before the performance starts, and we provide music from our different music groups to listen to while they wait.”

About the Boar’s Head Festival

Loesel said that there are two parts to the show. The first part features a scene from medieval times in which the lord of the manner invites lords and ladies from all over the countryside to a Christmas celebration.

“That’s where they celebrate the killing of the wild boar,” Loesel said. “It was the symbol of evil, the meanest and most ferocious animal in the forest. It now has Christian meaning because Christ came to earth to defeat the devil—it symbolizes what Christ has done for us.”

The first part of the show features a number of characters, including lords and ladies, court jesters, wassailers, herald trumpeters, banner bearers, the king and his page and more.

“After the first half, the ‘courtly story,’ we go to the biblical Christian story,” Loesel said. “When the lights come up for the second part, we see Mary and Joseph approaching the innkeeper, and the music takes you through the events of that night, including the wise men coming to worship the Christ child.”

He said that at the end of the second half, all of the actors from the first part return to the stage. Each goes to Bethlehem and kneels down to worship the Christ child.

Tickets to the event are free, but reservations are required. Loesel said that while the event was previously booked, some tickets are available due to cancellations. You can call the church office for tickets at 636-946-2656. Visit the Immanuel Lutheran website for more information.

Performances will be Friday night at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

“This is a festival that captivates you with an approach that comes from medieval England, but draws you into the Bethlehem Christmas story and cuts through all the other distractions of the Christmas season and allows you to focus on Jesus our savior,” Loesel said.