Here they sing “Deliciosa es la tierra” outside the Church of Santa María.

In order to attract as many people as possible to the church, singing was prohibited. For priestess Beate Iren Lerdahl, however, it was inappropriate to leave “Delicious is the earth”.

The two meter distance restriction during hymn singing has created a lot of headaches for Beate Iren Lerdahl, pastor of Mariakirken. When they measured, they found that the rule only allowed 19 people in the medieval church. They practiced it a few Sundays before Christmas.

– With the great distance, we feel a lack of atmosphere and community, he says.

I had to go out to sing

This is not how they wanted it on Christmas Eve. A church committee decided it was better to practice the subway rule and stop singing hymns. Then they had room for 50 and once again a sense of community could be felt.

The liturgy changed a bit and they got a soloist to sing during the service. However, it was unthinkable that the congregation would not sing a song.

– We had to sing “Delicious is the earth”, and then we had no choice but to leave, says Lerdahl.

He led the 50 attendees through the side doors of the church hall. Then they sang “Delicious in the ground” with a full throat.

– We go out through the side door to bring up the logistics. We wanted to prevent people from bumping into each other, he says.

– A message we need to hear

Lerdal thinks singing Christmas songs outside is cute. It’s about spreading the Christmas spirit in the neighborhood.

However, it was never appropriate to organize the service outdoors as other congregations have done.

– We have a church room too important for that, she says.

She exemplifies this by referring to the altar.

– The altarpiece will be closed again on the first Sunday of Advent. At the Christmas Eve service, we open it again. Then we see Mary and the baby Jesus. Due to the beautiful church hall, we are indoors as much as we can. But we had to sing “Delicious is the earth”.

“Delicious is the earth” was sung to the accompaniment of notes from the Lungegaarden corps of music.

Due to a tight schedule with more services than usual, the schedule was tightened. Lerdahl had only reserved seven minutes for his sermon. This year he spoke of the shepherds in the field.

– They are greeted with a very clear statement: don’t be afraid. It is a message we must hear after the year that we have passed, says Lerdahl.

Outdoor worship service

At the Bergendal farm, which is located between Kringlebotn and Nattland School, Acting Parish Priest Leidulf Øy held an open-air service.

– It’s so nice to be able to have an outdoor Christmas service here at the Bergendal farm, a gem that’s generally a cultural gathering place in our local community, he says.

He had two services on Christmas Eve with a total of 350-400 listeners.