Freedom, love and joy at Christmas banquet 2018 in Grey Hall, Christiania – more than 1000 people enjoying good food, music and community singing

 

 

 

Frihed, kærlighed og glæde under julemiddag 2018 i Grå Hal, Christiania – mere end 1000 mennesker nyder et godt gratis måltid, musik og fællessang.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Text and photos Erik K Abrahamsen, the 24. december 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas banquet, Grey Hall, Christiania 24 december 2018.

 

Welcome applaud from more than 100 volunteers at entrance of Grey Hall – my arrival at 5.15 pm:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

More than 200 hundreds volunteers have decorated Grey Hall in Christiania for christmas celebration, cooked 3 meals both vegetarian and usual danish christmas food and offered music and song entertainments throughout the christmas evening and night.

 

Here on christmas eve 2018 is my wonderful experience of hospitality, love, joy and excellent food: 

 

The doors to Grey Hall in Christiania opens at 5 p.m. 24. december 2018.

 

When I arrive at 5.15 p.m. to Freetown Christiania there are no more the 150 m long queue before the entrance to Grey Hall. All 1000 guests are already arrived and sitting on tables inside Grey Hall.

When I walk closer to the entrance I can still hear the applauds from volunteers and when I pass through the entrance I am the last guest receiving a applaud of love and joy, which was amazing: me alone and my arrival celebrated.

I was so happy that I raised both hands high in the air of thankfulness!

 

My arrival at 5.15 pm with applauds from volunteers:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Shedule for christmas banquet:

5 – 6 pm: Arrival, getting seated and entertainment on main scene – LIGHT RED from spotlights

6 -7.30 pm : volunteers serve free dinner to all more than 1000 people – LIGHT BLUE from spotlights

 

7.30- 8 pm: Entertainment and song and music from main scene – LIGHT BLUE from spotlights

 

8 – 8.30 pm: The christmas gospel read by priest from Our Savior Church Christianshavn, The Christiania volunteers choir and community singing – LIGHT GREEN from spotlights

 

8.30 pm – after midnight: music from main scene – LIGHT YELLOW from spotlights

 

 

PART 1  RED LIGHT from spotlights

5 – 6 pm Arrival, getting seated and entertainment on main scene:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

– entertainment on main scene in Grey Hall:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

– entertainment on main scene in Grey Hall:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Entertainment by compère:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Free coffee/tee at service area:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

PART 2 BLUE LIGHT from spotlights

6 -7.30 pm  volunteers serve free dinner to all more than 1000 people:

 

At 6 p.m. we line up two queues – one for a vegetarian meal and one for a meat meals with ox or pork.

Free menu:

1. Vegetarian or meat (ox or pork),
2. Rice pudding,
3. Cake and coffee/tea,
4. Homemade chocolate-marzipan bars.

 

Queue for serving vegetarian dinner:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Volunteers serving vegetarian dinner:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Queue for serving free meat (ox or pork) dinner:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Volunteers serving free meat (ox or pork) dinner:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Volunteers serving meat (ox or pork) dinner:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Volunteers serving meat (ox or pork) dinner:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Volunteers serving free meat (ox or pork) dinner:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Volunteers serving free rice pudding dessert with powdered cinnamon and danish butter:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Volunteers serving free rice pudding dessert with powdered cinnamon and danish butter and coffee/tee:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

PART 3 BLUE LIGHT from spotlights

7.30 – 8 pm Ententainment and song and music from main scene:

 

Song group from Great Britain/Ireland on main scene:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Song group from Great Britain/Ireland on main scene:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

View from Family Area to artistic expression of the two “Full Moons” under the roof of Grey Hall:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

View from Family Area to artistic expression of the two “Full Moons” under the roof of Grey Hall:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

 

PART 4

8 – 8.30 pm GREEN LIGHT from spotlights

Christiania volunteers choir, The christmas gospel read by priest from Our Savior Church, Christianshavn and community singing:

 

Christiania volunteers choir and priest Susanne Møller Olsen, Our Savior Church, Christianshavn – local church of Freetown Christiania:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Christiania volunteers choir and priest Susanne Møller Olsen, Our Savior Church, Christianshavn – local church of Freetown Christiania on main scene:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

 

The christmas gospel read by priest Susanne Møller Olsen, Our Savior Church, Christianshavn – local church of Freetown Christiania: 

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Community singing all over Grey Hall, Christiania:

Text on artistic decoration “Full Moon”:

Glade jul, dejlige jul. Text by B.S. Ingemann 1850

Det kimer nu til julefest. Text N.F.S. Grundtvig 1817

Et barn er født i Betlehem. Latin 1400, German 1545 and Danish 1544.1569. Text by N.F.S. Grundtvig 1820

 

My favourite and most loving christmas song is “O holy night the stars are brightly shining”,

Poem by Placide Cappeau and composed by Adolphe Adam 1847, original title “Cantique de Noel”.

Translated into English lyrics by John Sullivan Dwight in 1855.

 

Verse 2 in hymn “O holy night”:

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the wise men from Orient land
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend

 

Links:

I recommend the hymn “O holy night”, click: youtube.com

Irish song group HomeTown – Oh holy night, vocals: Dayl Cronin, Cian Morrin, Ryan McLoughlin, Brendan Murray, Josh Gray and Dean Gibbons. Crookedwood Studios, audio by David Arkins and video by Ovie. Published 19. dec. 2015.

Kerrie Roberts – O holy night, Performance Video, published 8. dec. 2010,

Josh Groban – O Holy Night (with lyrics), published 19. nov. 2013,

The Piano Guys: O Holy Night by singer Lexi Walker, published 30-11-2017,

KingsCollegeChoir: O Holy Night, published 22. dec. 2017,

Céline Dion – Oh Holy Night, published 8. dec. 2013 and

Carrie Underwood, Oh holy night, lyrics on screen, published 24. march 2013.

 

You can hear all this excellent songs in different english translations from original french text from 1847 on YouTube, click: youtube.com

 

Text on artistic decoration “Full Moon”:

Glade jul, dejlige jul.

 

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Community praying of OUR FATHER (Gospel of Matthew chapter 6, verses 9-13) and The Aaronic benediction (Old Testament Numbers, chapter 6 verses 24-26) by priest Susanne Møller Olsen, Our Savior Church, Christianshavn – local church of Freetown Christiania:

 

-“The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

The LORD turn his face towards you and give you peace.”

 

 

 

After more than 1000 invited guests have ended the community singing a light show marked the transition to music on main scene:

 

Light show – “snow falling” at 8.25 pm 24. december 2018:

PANORAMA VIEW of GREY HALL, CHRISTIANIA

 

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Light show “snow falling” at 8.25 pm 24. december 2018:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Light show “snow falling” at 8.25 pm 24. december 2018:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

 

PART 5 YELLOW LIGHT from spotlights

8.30 pm – after midnight music from main scene:

 

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Relaxed atmosphere enjoying fellowship in Grey Hall – Christmas 2018, 8.30 pm in Christiania:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Relaxed atmosphere enjoying fellowship in Grey Hall – Christmas 2018, 8.30 pm in Christiania:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

 

It has been a wonderful christmas evening and I enjoyed the warm atmosphere of freedom, love and joy.

Smoking is forbidden inside all areas in Grey Hall, Christiania.

 

Free smoking area in front of entrance of Grey Hall in Freetown Christiania:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

Free smoking area in front of entrance of Grey Hall in Freetown Christiania:

Click on photos and use your zoom control and you see them in full screen size.

 

 

 

At 8.45 pm I left Grey Hall and Freetown Christiania to drive 60 km to my home north of Copenhagen close to Kattegat Sea.

 

Thanks to all more than 200 volunteers of Freetown Christiania´s for this magnificent evening among more than 1000 guests,

– and thanks to all private donators for this free Christmas banquet 2018.

 

 

 

 

Enjoy life – be happy!

 

 

Text and photos Copyright Erik K Abrahamsen 2018

All rights reserved

 

 

Melby, North Sealand 25. december 2018

Greetings

Erik