A hymn festival is a worship service devoted especially to congregational singing. It is a type of service especially well suited to the celebration of important events in the Christian year and in the life of the congregation. The apostle Paul urged the people of Ephesus to sing the words and tunes of the psalms and hymns when they were together, and to go on singing and chanting to the Lord in their hearts, “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20)....

It’s one of our most popular carols. Yet few know that the verses of The Twelve Days of Christmas are based on the season of Epiphany, or the period between December 25th and January 6th....