The first Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was held on Christmas Eve, 1918 at Kings’ College, Cambridge. The service was planned by Eric Milner-White, age 34,
the recently appointed Dean of King’s after experience as an army chaplain. Milner-White believed the Church of England needed more imaginative worship,
and the Festival of Lessons and Carols was the result. Regarded as a liturgical pioneer during his 22 years at Cambridge, Milner-White surely had no idea the impact this one service would have on musical and liturgical communities. The first service

was directed by Arthur Henry Mann (organist at King’s 1876-1929). The earliest incarnation of such a service seems to be one held by E.W. Benson, later Archbishop of Canterbury, on Christmas Eve 1880 in Truro, England. This service was much simpler, but also consisted of nine lessons and carols.

The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College has been broadcast annually since 1928 (with the exception of 1930). The broadcasts even continued during the Second World War, when the “ancient glass (and also all heat) had been removed from the Chapel and the name of King’s could not be broadcast for security reasons.” However, services of Lessons and Carols are now performed throughout the world, ranging from the Anglican high church to humble services in country churches and desert tents. For many people around the world, this service signals the true beginning of the Christmas season.

This evening’s service adheres to the original format, with very few exceptions. Since a revision of the order of service in 1919, the service has always begun with the hymn “Once in Royal David’s City” as we will do this evening. While the carols have changed in the 84 years of the service’s existence, the lessons and the prayers have remained unchanged.