Heiligabend

Last night, Christmas Eve, is known in Germany as Heiligabend (holy evening). For most of the day, I did nothing more than hang out at home, watch a bunch of movies and Graham Norton episodes, and crochet and recrochet a hat that just doesn't want to fit my head. However, come midnight I went down to the Aachener Dom for the Midnight Service.

I was sitting right next to this fancy-pants lectern!

Let me get this out of the way right now. I am not catholic. I have never been a member of a catholic church and only once gone to a catholic mass, and that was half my lifetime ago. Therefore, I felt pretty awkward going in. However, I was not going to pass up the chance to worship in a building as gorgeous as the cathedral. As I entered, I picked up a program and tried to spot a place where I could sit. I had arrived just a few minutes before 12, soaked through from the rain (Do you call that a blue Christmas?) Consequently, the place was pretty well full. I was going to content myself with standing when one of the ushers came by a couple standing in front of me and told them there were more seats in the front. I followed them. I am definitely glad I didn't try to find the seats on my own. You see, in the front did not means what I had thought it meant. In the front meant literally behind the altar where you'd expect the choir to sit. In an attempt to be nice to late-coming couples, I took a single seat right beside some candles and an eagle... I couldn't see anything but I didn't really care.

Waiting for the service to begin, I admired the music pouring down from above. Though I could not see them, a brass choir had taken up residence in the second story balcony. An organ built into the walls to half encompass the sanctuary accompanied them. They played a medley of Angles We Have Heard on High, Joy to the World, and other songs I could not quite place. Soon, a group of altar boys (Is there a term for that?) appeared and waved incense all about. To be quite frank, I held my breath as they passed. Incense and perfumes tend to make my head swim.

Then, whatever signal meant the congregation should rise occurred and I followed suit. The first song began, belted by the organ. I sang along, thankful for the notes printed there to help me with the completely unfamiliar melodies. It continued in this fashion until the time came for a brief sermon.

I am embarrassed to say that I found the sermon incredibly difficult to follow. Behind the altar as I was, I could not watch the priest's mouth, which almost always assists comprehension for me. Moreover, the echoes in the hall made me lose the endings of most of his words. I do believe though that the message had to do with Jesus being born. Pretty sure.

Nevertheless, the service ended the same way it always does at home: with Stille Nacht. That is my favorite Christmas song. Getting to sing it in its original language and in the country that it came from was glorious. At 2 am, I made it home and fell asleep still half humming it to myself.

Merry Christmas, and Frohe Weihnachten.