Christmas Carol
By Libby Hsieh
On December 16, students from the College of Foreign Language of Fu Jen Catholic University gathered at the Fr. Franz Giet Building for the Christmas Carol competition held by the Student Association of College of Foreign Language to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Performers were freshmen from each department, and they sung two carol songs in different languages to be rated by the judges, teachers from the six departments of CFLL.
“Nowadays, many people celebrate Christmas without knowing what it means and the merchants have made it much more commercial,” said teacher Li Shin (里信), who works for the Office of Spirituality Guidance. “We should remember that Christmas is a holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and that we shall be grateful for what God has brought to us.” As she led the prayer, the first competitors, students from the German Department, were ready to sing the first song of the night after students from the six departments of CFLL had toured the campus playing “Jingle Bells” to spread the spirit of Christmas.
The German Department sang “O Tennenbaum” ( O Christmas Tree) and “Letzte Weihnacht” (Last Christmas). The students from the German Department were followed by the French Department who brought two beautiful French carols “Qu'est-ce Qu'on Attend Pour être Heureux?” (What are we waiting for to make us happy?) and “Ce Que Je Veux Pour Noël C'est Toi” (All I want for Christmas is you). Students from the French Department showcased their song by singing and dancing. The third set were from the English Department who performed “Last Christmas” and “Mistletoe” accompanied by live guitar playing. To differentiate the German Department, they added a playlet during the gap between the two songs to spice up the event. As one of the performers asked, “Do you have a name?” to the singing girl, she confessed her love by singing, “or I will just call you mine.”
“Nowadays, many people celebrate Christmas without knowing what it means and the merchants have made it much more commercial,” said teacher Li Shin (里信), who works for the Office of Spirituality Guidance. “We should remember that Christmas is a holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and that we shall be grateful for what God has brought to us.” As she led the prayer, the first competitors, students from the German Department, were ready to sing the first song of the night after students from the six departments of CFLL had toured the campus playing “Jingle Bells” to spread the spirit of Christmas.
The German Department sang “O Tennenbaum” ( O Christmas Tree) and “Letzte Weihnacht” (Last Christmas). The students from the German Department were followed by the French Department who brought two beautiful French carols “Qu'est-ce Qu'on Attend Pour être Heureux?” (What are we waiting for to make us happy?) and “Ce Que Je Veux Pour Noël C'est Toi” (All I want for Christmas is you). Students from the French Department showcased their song by singing and dancing. The third set were from the English Department who performed “Last Christmas” and “Mistletoe” accompanied by live guitar playing. To differentiate the German Department, they added a playlet during the gap between the two songs to spice up the event. As one of the performers asked, “Do you have a name?” to the singing girl, she confessed her love by singing, “or I will just call you mine.”
Competitors from English Department, photograph by Libby Hsieh, Dec. 16, 2020
The Italian Department then presented “Tu scendi dalle Stelle” (From Starry Skies descending) and then moved on to the brisk “Santa Dimmi” (Santa tell me), with cute gestures and musical accompaniment from the department teacher. Following last year's champion, the students from Japanese Department sang “Snow Halation” and “Xmas Kiss.” Another strong competitor was the group from the Spanish Department. They also sang “El mejor regalo eres tu” (All I want for Christmas is you) with “Navidad con paz” (Christmas with peace) with props to demonstrate their love for Christmas carols.
With cheer and acclaim of students and teachers, the hosts revealed that the third place went to the French Department, the second place went to the Japanese Department, and the winner of this year was the Spanish Department. The Office of Spirituality Guidance concluded by inviting everyone to sing Silent Night together and celebrate the successful completion of the Christmas Carol Contest.
With cheer and acclaim of students and teachers, the hosts revealed that the third place went to the French Department, the second place went to the Japanese Department, and the winner of this year was the Spanish Department. The Office of Spirituality Guidance concluded by inviting everyone to sing Silent Night together and celebrate the successful completion of the Christmas Carol Contest.