It will require some props and that the children and youth who will take part can assemble near the 6 action points as the pageant unfolds. Other than the specific cast members, it takes little or no practice on the part of the participants and does not depend on who or how many show up at the pageant.

The cast includes 10 members and two supervisors (although it could be done with fewer if the general narrators would also narrate the sections):

4 General Narrators (from the Middle School or High School) N1, N2, N3, N4

One Narrator for each of the 6 sections (Yule, Divali, Hanukkah, Advent, Christmas, Kwanzaa)

In addition two adult "supervisors" are needed to attend to each of the action points in the 6 sections; one is coordinating an action point while the other is moving on to the next action point.

Each of the six action points will be "staffed" by children - you could assign a class group to each of the 6 areas - or whatever works well within your setting.

Props are mentioned in each section.

Setting: in the center of the sanctuary is set a symbolic campfire which is surrounded by a group of older youth.

At 6 points around the room there will be centers of activity wet up on various pillars (blocks, plinths, platforms, etc.)

The lights in the sanctuary will be shut off after the preceding hymn

Music: after the preceding hymn, a combination of "eerie" background music and then wolf howls will be played. After the tape ends:

N1: Oooo, I'm scared

N2: Me too! It's so dark.

N3: You're scared of the dark? I'm not! I'm scared of the beasties out in the dark.

N4: And the things that go bump in the night.

N3: But, we all know that when we are done with this campfire we can go home to our nice warm, bright homes.

N2: And, we all know that we have this fire, and this warmth. And are free to go home if we want to. It hasn't always been that way, and still isn't that way, for all people.

N1: I think we should think about those people -- remembering what it must have been like for people who are not as lucky as we are.

N3: How about we take turns, and make it into one big story

N4: Sort of like the story of everybody. It can be a story that would make sense whenever and wherever we tell it.

N2: Good, but let's not make it scary. Let's make it full of hope and light.

N1: I'll begin. It was a dark and stormy night. Somewhere outside a wolf howled. The night was very long. The sun had been setting earlier and earlier.

N3: Wait - I thought it wasn't supposed to be scary!

N1: Just listen .... you'll see. A tribe of ancient people gathered at the mouth of s cave. They were cold and scared. In the forest surrounding them they could hear sounds of various creatures. At long last they heard a familiar sound ... the footsteps of one of their tribe. As he approached his friends and family, they could see he carried what they had all hoped for. In a piece of animal hide he hid from the elements the small glowing coals of the fire from another clan. At the mouth of the cave, he bent low to the ground and placed the coals into the prepared bed of kindling, and soon flames licked up where before there had only been darkness and fear.

N2: I'll pick it up from there. That was long ago. But many people still remember those times. They remember them in their dreams and in their spirits. They remember them in their own fears. Each year, at this time, in the many lands of the Northern Hemisphere, people gather on the longest night of the year, the darkest night of the year, and in that night they light special fires of remembrance.

A group of young children surround a pillar with the simulated log fire set on it, and as the following words are read they "light" the fire. Underneath the action the song "The earth, the air, the fire, the water" is being played softly.

Yule: So the ancients lit their fire And we today light our fires To remember Our connections to earth and sky Our connection to life and death and life again Our connection to hope and courage Even in the darkest times of life. May we see this flame of light and hope At the turning of the year And be glad.

Music comes up and all join in singing with the song

N2: But, the lighting of the yule log is not the only celebration of light and hope in this season.

The next group of children will gather around a pillar with the many colored candles on it. (Indian music will begin to play softly.)

N3: Divali is a Hindu ceremony that is celebrated throughout India. It is held in honor of the goddesses Laksmi, Sarasvati and Kali. Myths of its origins refer back to a time when Lord Krishna told the people to stop worshiping the ancient deity Indra and start giving puja to the Mount Govandhan. It also celebrates the blessings given by the goddesses.

The children will light the candles and bang on the pans (softly) and throw colored paper streamers

Divali: Divali is celebrated on the last day of the year. People in India dress in white and bright colors on Divali. Houses are painted with fresh white wash prior to the day, and completely cleaned on the day of the festival. Rituals are performed to banish Alaksmi, the goddess of bad fortune. People bang on pans and light candles or small oil lamps in every room of the house in order to scare her away. After dark, cities are lit up with fireworks and big bonfires.

N3: Today, Divali is thought to be an auspicious day. Darkness is banished from homes, but also hatred, jealousy, ego and enmity should be removed from our minds and hearts. On Divali, we should light the lamps of universal love, unity and companionship and strive to make the world happy, healthy and prosperous.

Music continues and then ends. The next group of children will rise up and circle the pillar with the menorah on it.

N4: Hanukkah is celebrated by Jewish peoples to remember the liberation of the temple in Jerusalem by the Maccabees from Greek possession. It also is a remembrance of the miracle that occurred when the temple menorah was lit with only a small amount of oil, enough to last one day, but yet the menorah burned for 8 days. In the Jewish calendar, it is only a minor celebration, but it is the Jewish holiday most non-Jews know about.

The children begin to light the menorah as the following is read:

Han: Hanukkah is an 8-day celebration. The major ritual of Hanukkah is the lighting of the candles, one each night after sundown until all eight are lit on the final night. The menorah is usually placed in a front window so people who pass by can see it, and also remember the miracle of the oil. When the family gathers, Hanukkah songs are sung, gifts are exchanged and games are played.

All sing the Dreidel song

N3: Today, Hanukkah is celebrated as a time of dedication and renewal. It is a time of remembrance both of the ancient temple and the age-old struggle for religious freedom. Although there were many utensils in the temple, it is the menorah that is featured because it gave light. Thus, those who celebrate Hanukkah should also be a source of light in the world.

Advent music will begin to play softly. The next group of students will gather around an advent wreath.

N4: Many of the festivals of this time of year focus on the human experience of waiting. We wait for so many things: For the light to come back to the world. For our own courage to take hold of our hearts. For anger, envy, and hatred to be banished from our homes. For the time of miracles to be our time.

The appropriate number of candles on the Advent Wreath are lit while the following is read:

Advent: Almost as ancient as the yule log, And as hopeful as Divali and as symbolic as the Menorah is the circle of evergreen and fire. Like the headdresses of the goddesses of old Which told of life everlasting and light never ending The Advent Wreath now symbolizes that which is already but not yet, that which for which we wait and hope.

N4: In Christian cultures, it is a symbol of the four Sundays before Jesus' birth. One additional candle is lit each Sunday, until just before Christmas the wreath is afire with the hope that our waiting will soon be over.

The Advent Music will fade out. The next group of children will gather around a small Christmas tree.

N1: The ancient story tells us of the birth of a man who many say is the great messenger people wait for. In a small stable far away in an ancient land a baby was born to two common parents; but before long angels danced in the skies, voices came from the heavens, and wise astrologers came from the east, all to proclaim that baby special.

Children will add decorations to the tree and then light its lights while the following is read:

Xmas: That baby would live and die to become a very special person: Jesus. He would try to help people understand that they can choose lives of love, that they have reason to believe that death is not the end of existence, and that each person can find the wisdom of the universe for herself or himself.

The children lead the congregation in the singing of one verse of "Silent Night"

N1: Now, two millennia later, his birth is celebrated with many of the symbols of the season: evergreen trees that symbolize the persistence of the spirit lights that symbolize the ancient hope the many colors of decorations that symbolize the diversity of our spirits and gifts that symbolize the gifts of life, love, and thought which we have all received.

The final group of children will gather around the Kwanzaa candelabra as some African drum music begins

N2: Some of the celebration of the season is as old as all of human civilization And as modern as our time. The people of African, tracing the longest lineage of the earth, have celebrated in their living a set of values that mark the very essence of what we now call civilized. But, interruptions of their culture have often separated them from those values. The power of fear, the greed of others, the oppression by others, the defilement by others, have robbed many of those values.

The children begin to light the candles as the following is read:

Kwan: To help people of African descent remember And all people celebrate those values, the celebration of Kwanzaa was born in our own time. From the day after Christmas, for a week, Families gather to light one more candle each night And think about central values: unity, cooperation, faith, collective responsibility, creativity, self-determination, and purpose.

N2: From ancient times to our times From far away places to our own homes From the realm of miracles to the realm of the everyday The spirit of light shines forth in this season To remind us that there is more that connects us to one another Than that separates us. Let us all join in singing a song.

(choices include #147 in Singing the Living Tradition, or any other song of Kwanzaa or African- American heritage about unity.)