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Record-breaking nativity

Author: Bible Society, 5 December 2016

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Bible Society, along with Calne Town Council, broke the Guinness World RecordTM record for the World’s Largest Live Nativity, on Saturday night, in the town of Calne, in Wiltshire.

The record has been set jointly by Bible Society and Calne Town Council.

Officially entitled the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDSTM title for ‘The Most Living Figures in a Nativity Scene’ the night involved1254  people coming together to all participate wearing traditional costumes – wise men (and women); shepherds and angels.

The former record was set by 1,039 volunteers in Utah, USA in December 2014.

The night is also Calne’s annual Christmas light switch-on and lantern parade so thousands of people from across Wiltshire were also in the town centre celebrating Christmas and heard the real Nativity story as children from local schools read Luke 2.1-22 to the crowd and Bible Society’s Hazel Southam reported live from Bethlehem – the birthplace of Jesus. 

Paul Williams, CEO of Bible Society said: ‘People of faith; no faith and other faiths turned up tonight to celebrate the original Christmas story from the Bible. They had great fun; broke the world record and, we hope, brought the Bible to life. We hope people were reminded where the story came from and what it means to millions of Christians across the globe.’

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