Chassembly 2022: A Uniquely Moravian Holiday Tradition

The candles are glowing, carols fill the air, Santa Claus is on campus, and familiar stories of hope are told and retold. After two years of creative adaptations due to the pandemic, our favorite holiday traditions have returned to the Downtown and Merle-Smith Campuses with all the peace, hope, joy and love of the season.

On Tuesday, December 13, our Downtown first-graders traveled to the Merle-Smith Campus for a morning of fun and learning. They joined the Upper School for our annual Holiday “Chassembly” (part Chapel, part Assembly, capturing both the joy and sentiment of the season). In anticipation of Hanukkah, which begins the evening of December 18, Devon Berkove ’24 shared a favorite Hanukkah story from his childhood, Sammy Spider’s First Hanukkah. Members of the Upper School Jewish Heritage Club were joined by the Jewish members of our first grade as they lit the Menorah, and we all sang together the traditional blessing over the candles. 

Head of School, Adrianne Finley Odell, shared the story of her neighborhood, and how a corporate installation of a 12 Days of Christmas display helped bring her community together. The Downtown first-graders delighted Upper School students by singing their Christmas anthems from Lower School Vespers, directed by Lower School music teacher, Ben Wallace. Finally, Upper School theater teacher, Jarrod Yuskauskas, with the help of several seniors, shared a playful story about letters to Santa and learning from our mistakes, ending just as sleigh bells filled the air and Santa Claus himself landed his reindeer on the Merle-Smith Campus and Ho-Ho-Ho’d his way into the auditorium for a surprise visit. (Special thanks to Tom Dubreuil, alumni parent and Christmas City Santa, for this magical moment!) 

After Chassembly, first-graders had their pictures taken with Santa, then joined their Senior Buddies for a fun holiday lunch, including pizza and cookie decorating. (Thank you to our Dining Services team for these special arrangements!). The first-graders ended their visit to the Merle-Smith Campus by joining Upper School language classes to learn Christmas carols and stories in French and Spanish. (Thank you to Upper School language teachers Kim Sanborn, Carolyn Wert, and Profe Gonzalo del Real!) It was a festive day to be a Lion!

Lessons and Carols

The following day, on Wednesday, December 14, the Lessons and Carols service returned to the Downtown Campus after a two-year hiatus. Our Middle School Orchestra led us in singing familiar Carols, including O Come, All Ye Faithful, Silent Night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Joy to the World, and the Spanish Hymn, Campana Sobre Campana. Faculty and staff members shared traditional scripture passages, retelling the Christmas story, and student readers led the lighting of our advent wreath, cradling the lights of hope, peace, joy, and love. 

The formal Lessons and Carols service began in England in 1880, and was later spread around the world through live radio broadcasts. Moravian Academy’s version also connects us to our historic past. Count Benigna Von Zinzendorf wrote that the truest language for worship is song, and he created thousands of hymns over the course of his lifetime.  When the early Moravians settled in Bethlehem, their most common form of worship was the Singstunde, song and verse woven together to tell the story of God. Lessons and Carols is a Christmas Singstunde, inviting us to follow a star to Bethlehem, as we celebrate together the miracle of compassion and the wonder of love.

In this season of longing and expectation, may we consider not just the gifts we will open, but also the ways in which we ourselves can be a gift to one another. To all who celebrate, a very Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.