Boars Head Festival

We spoke with Jason Fontaine about the upcoming Boars Head Festival at the Shrine of Saint Anne in Waterbury. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm
Alison Demurz. My guest this morning is Jason Fontaine. He
is with the Boreshead Festival at the Shrine of Saint
Anne and Waterbury that's coming up. We're going to talk
all about it. Good morning Jason.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Good morning Alison. It's a pleasure to be on this morning.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
So tell me about this Boreshead Festival that's going on.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
We have a terrific Bareshead Festival and Wassle Party over
at the Shrine of Saint Anne and Waterbury, Connecticut. It's
going to be held on Sunday, December twenty eighth. It
begins at four pm. There'll be appre show of entertainment
and choir beginning around three point thirty pm. There's no
fee for the Boreshead Festival, but if it moves you,

(00:46):
we would like to ask for a free will offering
to offset just our expenses. For the Wastle Party, there
is a fee which is fifteen dollars per person and
a party of four family of f for is only
thirty dollars.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
So for people who don't know about the boor's Head Festival,
what is it?

Speaker 2 (01:07):
So it evolved just like this. The origin of the
boy Said festival began around thirteen forty eighty in England.
You see, there was a scholar that was deep in
a forest holding a book of Aristotle on his way
to Christmas Eve Mass. And as he was in the forest,
he encountered a wild boar who was a menace to

(01:30):
all humankind. So for an order for the scholar to
save his life, he severed the book of Aristotle in
the bor's throat, choking and killing the boar. And then
over time Christian characters found their way into this legend,
which is a duality of darkness, the boar and light

(01:51):
the book of Aristotle, and the darkness represents evil and
the light is the light of Christ, our savior.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
So when people attend the boors Heead Festival that day,
what can they expect?

Speaker 2 (02:06):
Oh, they could expect all kinds of things. So we
have great entertainment. We're going to have dancers from countries
all over the world as the story on folds, and
what they do is they pay homage, first of all
to a king and a queen. So picture yourself in
the Renaissance era and this beautiful Gothic church, the Shrine

(02:28):
of Saint Anne, which you could see off of the
mixed Master and Waterbury. And over time, after these entertainers
from all over the world of you know, do a
presentation for the King and Queen, then the Holy Family,
the program pivots. The Holy Family then enters the throne,

(02:50):
and then everybody abates that throne so that they could
pay homage to the Christ Child. So even if you
are a non believer, it's just it's a wonderful way
of sending a message of hope, light, peace and positivity
just to continue the Christmas season.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
And what are the costumes like?

Speaker 2 (03:13):
The costumes are Renaissance period costumes. They are all handmade.
Some of them are very very elaborate, of course, to
represent the royalty of the King and Queen, the Lord
and Lady of the manor, and of course their family.
And then some of them are very very simple, sort
of like peasant costumes and things like that. For shepherds

(03:35):
and followers. The Three Wise Men have beautiful costumes that
are very ornate that are period costumes as well.

Speaker 1 (03:43):
What is the music like.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
The music is an ecumenical choir, so it is our
Shrine Festival Choir, which is our Sunday choir Mass, but
we also have other people coming as well. It's all volunteer, Allison,
so that's what makes it really really great. And the
choir last year was about forty people. When we expect

(04:08):
about the Saint. Some of the music is really engaging
for people to sing, so for an example, something like
deck the Hall, something like the Holly and the Ivy.
But yet we do some pieces from Messiah. When the
Holy Family enters, we sing Contacts in a well in French,

(04:29):
and we also have a Spanish piece as well to
pay homage to the Holy Family.

Speaker 1 (04:35):
It sounds absolutely beautiful. It sounds like it's going to
sound beautiful and look.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
Beautiful absolutely and again it's just a great way for
the community to come together and do something that is
not only for Waterbury, but really in the region. And
that's what makes ours, I think, kind of special. No
one gets paid to do this. We, like I said,

(05:01):
only ask for a free will offering to offset the
expenses of the program and just the maintenance of the
parish as well.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
You mentioned earlier the Wassaile party. I'm not sure I'm
even pronouncing that correctly.

Speaker 2 (05:15):
You said it perfectly. Some people say was sail. But
the party is going to be immediately following the Boardeshead Festival.
We will have roasted pig, pulled pork, sandwiches, potatoes and vegetables, bread,
homemade soups, beverages hot and cold, and desserts. Also we

(05:36):
have appetizers too, again only fifteen dollars a person and
a party of four family of four is only thirty dollars.
Where can you Where can you get a meal like
that today's economy? You know. So it's really great and
it's just bringing that period of time and continuing it.

(05:56):
And they'll have some entertainment too as the Wassaile party
that will that will sure to warm your heart and
it'll be a really terrific experience.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
And not for nothing. You know, I was born and
raised in Waterbury. I know the women who are cooking
that day, and they can cook absolutely.

Speaker 2 (06:15):
You know, Waterbury is a very diverse city and our
parish is very very diverse. It has converged from seven
parishes into one large parish. Polish, Italians, French, Canadians of
course a very large Spanish community now that we have

(06:36):
and so that's what a lot of our caste and
people helping out consist of. Is that diversity. It's really
a terrific, terrific, terrific family and fellowship of a day
that you'll be able to experience.

Speaker 1 (06:55):
And is that what you hope people take away with
them or is there more that you hope for?

Speaker 2 (07:00):
Well, what we hope for too is again to just
feel that message of hope and light, peace and positivity.
And it's really no mistake that we do the Boarshead
Festival during the darkest time of the year, you know,
and to think of that warmth and that light. You know,

(07:22):
some people, Alison are alone this time of the year,
and so it's just a great way to come and
feel that warmth and have a great message and feel
that fellowship around you.

Speaker 1 (07:39):
And what makes this Boar's Head Festival at the Shrine
of Saint Anne more unique than maybe others.

Speaker 2 (07:46):
Well, I think one of the things that makes it
unique is the fact that this is all volunteer. We
do not hire any outside groups. The outside groups that
come in do this all all on their own, you know,
with their own accord. The other thing is is that
it's the only Catholic church that is doing this in

(08:09):
the region. So for example, we have clergy, We have
the Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Eucharist from Meriden that
are coming. They are part of the pageant, the Knights
of Columbus. We even have a twist of one of
the cast members being the Pope that comes in too.

(08:30):
In addition to that, you know the church itself, that
particular building was completed in nineteen twenty two, and it's
a beautiful, beautiful continental French Gothic structure. And you know,
the ceiling in the middle is almost seventy feet tall.
It really transforms you into a European church. So to

(08:55):
have the grander of this church and have this festival
done is really really almost it almost encapsulates you into
a castle in a way, you know, of that period.
It's really really neat.

Speaker 1 (09:10):
I used to say when I would go in there,
this reminds me of Narnia.

Speaker 2 (09:15):
I could see that, that's for sure.

Speaker 1 (09:17):
It's just beautiful. And again, it doesn't matter if you're
Catholic or not, but if you are, or a Christian
for that matter, you can maybe dive deeper into your
faith from this event.

Speaker 2 (09:28):
You certainly can, or even if you're a non believer,
a non believer that maybe that might push you to say, gee,
you know, I'd like to find a little bit more
about this or just get moved by the experience of
the day.

Speaker 1 (09:42):
Absolutely, you know what.

Speaker 2 (09:44):
I'd just like to say, please come on down. I
know there are other Foreshead festivals that are in the region,
and ours is held on a day and a date
that is that you could be able to see ours
and the that are going to be in Connecticut and
in Springfield as well.

Speaker 1 (10:05):
And you have parking right behind the church.

Speaker 2 (10:08):
We have parking behind the church. We have parking at
Maloney Magnet School as well as the parking lot adjacent
to it, and Jarjiras also lets us use their parking
lot for these overflow events.

Speaker 1 (10:25):
Wonderful. I'm speaking with Jason Fontaine about the Boreshead Festival
and Wastle Party. It's at the Shrine of Saint Anne
and Waterbury on December twenty eighth, three point thirty and
then four o'clock. Everything happens and it's free, and then
you have the beautiful dinner and you'll take I was
going to call it a love offering sounds good.

Speaker 2 (10:44):
A love offering is great. Our free will offering if
it moves you, and if you don't, and if you
don't have that that's totally fine too. Everybody is welcome.

Speaker 1 (10:55):
For more information go to All Saints wtby Jason. Thank
you so much for being here today and for having
this amazing festival.

Speaker 2 (11:06):
Allison, it was a pleasure, and thank you so much
for the invite to tell your listeners about this great event.