Christmas in the "Valley of Praise": Intersections of the Rural Idyll, Heritage and Community in Lobethal, South Australia

Autor/inn/en	Winchester, Hilary P. M.; Rofe, Matthew W.
Titel	Christmas in the "Valley of Praise": Intersections of the Rural Idyll, Heritage and Community in Lobethal, South Australia
Quelle	In: Journal of Rural Studies, 21 (2005) 3, S.265-279 (15 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0743-0167
DOI	10.1016/j.jrurstud.2005.05.008
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Holidays; Religion; Folk Culture; Cultural Background; Rural Areas; Cultural Activities; Australia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Holiday; Feiertag; Ferien; Rural area; Ländlicher Raum; Cultural activity; Kulturelle Aktivität; Australien
Abstract	The village of Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills is synonymous with Christmas. Its annual Festival of Lights originated in the 1940s and now attracts over 250,000 visitors each year. In 1994, the Lobethal Lights Festival Committee took over the coordination of activities and gained serious corporate sponsorship. The formalisation of the Festival occurred after the closure of the Onkaparinga Woollen Mills, the village's major employer. Founded in 1842, Lobethal retains a clear sense of its German Lutheran heritage. The Festival builds upon existing traditions and is fuelled by a strong sense of community. Strong religious and rural discourses permeate the Festival. Representations of Christmas predominantly reflect a traditional Christian ethos, exemplified by a live Nativity play performed nightly in the main street. The Festival is considered to be Lobethal's Christmas gift to the wider community and communicates a sense of Christmas festivity enjoyed by visitors of all ages. The Festival of Lights provides a significant local place identity for Lobethal, which is enhanced by the rural spatiality and Germanic heritage of the Valley of Praise. (Author).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10