Reading Other People’s Prayers: A Pilot Study around a Prayer Tree at a Church Christmas Tree Festival

ABSTRACT This pilot study explores the extent to which adults attending a Christmas tree festival in a parish church read prayers hung by others on the festival prayer tree. In the growing body of empirical research on prayer content in public prayer spaces, the practice of reading others’ prayers has tended to be inferred from copying patterns evident in prayer books, rather than evidenced from on-site observation. To discover whether on-site observation is feasible, four 30-minute observations were conducted over two days around the festival prayer tree. Use of hand tally counters during these sessions revealed that on average 40% of festivalgoers who entered the chapel where the prayer tree was located read at least one prayer written by someone else. Possible motivations are discussed. On the basis of this limited pilot study, it is recommended that more sophisticated ethnographic work be carried out in prayer facilities of public spaces.