Elementary Schoolers from Komoro City and Minato-ku Participate in the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

The Shirokane Campus Christmas tree lighting ceremony—a Meiji Gakuin winter tradition—was held on Friday, November 22. Due to inclement weather, this year’s ceremony was held inside the Chapel, rather than on the lawn square in front of Meiji Gakuin Memorial Hall as previously planned.

Following Meiji Gakuin president Matsubara’s reading of “Words from the Bible,” the children of the Nogishi Elementary School Chorus from Komoro City (which has a cooperative partnership with Meiji Gakuin University) performed the Japanese Christmas song “Scatterbrained Santa Claus.” The spirited performance, combining singing and hand-clapping, announced the start of the Christmas season.

Next, the children of Shirokane-no-Oka Elementary School Chorus sang “Jingle Bells,” and students from Meiji Gakuin Senior High School’s Glee Club performed “O Holy Night.”

After the school chorus performances, all the participants joined in the countdown, switches were pressed, and the Chapel tree’s lights were turned on. Although the tree lighting ceremony could not be held on the lawn square as originally planned, the joyful shouts emanating from the filled-to-capacity Chapel were heard far and wide.

When the ceremony concluded, the children of Nogishi Elementary School and Komoro City mayor Toshihiro Koizumi posed for a commemorative photo with the tree in the background. For all the children who attended, the day will surely be a treasured memory from this winter.