MULTILINGUAL CAROL SERVICE, 2011

The ladies and several gentlemen of the "foreign legion" held their multilingual carol service at the Salesian Church of Maria Ausiliatrice in Ragusa on Saturday.  Italian, French, German, Bosnian, English, Dutch, Danish and Spanish were the languages represented this year and there was also a carol in Sicilian dialect.

The German ladies sang by candlelight

while enthusiasm made up for numbers as the British and American contingent belted out Hark the Herald Angels Sing:

I, as the only non-singing Welshwoman in the world, explained, in Italian, what an Eisteddfod is and read about an early, Christmas one instead [see details below]:

Denmark bravely contributed an excellent solo

and the Spanish speakers, who always choose a jolly carol, ensured that this year was no exception:

There was also a traditional accordion solo from accompanist Gino:

The service ended, as usual, with the singing of verses of Silent Night in Italian, French, German, Spanish and English.

This is the text I read from The Chronicle of the Princes:

"1176.  At Christmastide in that year, the Lord Rhys ap Gruffudd held a court with great splendour in Cardigan Castle, and arranged two kinds of contests there, one for bards and poets, and the other for harpists and crowthers and pipers and other musicians.  He had two chairs placed for the winners, and honoured them with lavish gifts.  Among the harpists, a youth of Rhys's own court was successful, and of the poets, those of Gwynedd were supreme.  All seekers of largesse obtained from Rhys all that they asked for, and no one met with refusal.  That feast, before it was held, had been proclaimed a year in advance throughout Wales, and England, Ireland and the other islands."

And now I'll let you look at the food that the" international ladies" had brought along:

My friend the artist Marjorie Morton is also an artist in the kitchen and for the occasion she had made this sumptuous cheesecake:

I had baked Nigella's white chocolate and [dried] cranberry cookies.  I know they are not shaped perfectly but neither, if you look carefully, are Nigella's.  Anyway, they were all eaten!

More goodies:

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There had to be Sicilian impannatighi!

There were even sausage rolls.  I hadn't had them for so long and I'm sure their calories don't count during festivities, just as those of chips cannot possibly count when you're out.

Next year it's Modica's turn to organise the service again!