CHRISTMAS CAROLS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 24 December 1925, Page 4 (Supplement)

CHRISTMAS CAROLS.

THE REVELRIES OF THE WAITS. i heard the bells on Christmas Day, Their old familiar carols .play, And w.kl and sweet, Tlie words repeat, Of peace on earth —goodwill to men. —Longfellow.

The original idea of carols natl no connection at all with the birtli ot Christ, or, for that matter, with any Christian festival. The word "carol' means “dance,” and they early carols were sung in connection with the pagan festivals or revelries, wnen daneaig played suca an important part. Many ot our- customs, so long as the oldest can rememoer, which haVc been a part of Christmas, are derived from pagan folk lore, legends, and festival celebrations. The mistletoe comes from an ancient Druid observance; tlie bur ning of the Christmas Yule log has been transmitted to us from our Scandinavian ancestors, and so also tne Christmas carol has come down to us tlirougn tlie ages. Looking back at the early days ot Christianity, we lind that there were pagan customs existing about tlie tune of nie winter solstice, the period of the Christian celebration of tne Nativity. 'The Romans celebrated the festival of Saturn;’ “Saturnalia,” they called it. The Gothic and Saxon festival was Jul, or Jule; and tlie early Christian ministers experienced tlie utmost dilticutiy in inducing their converts lrom indulging in tlie popular revelries connected with these festivals, so that to combat pagan influences, the early Christians took over many of the customs and celebration ; the wassail bowl was discarded and The people wanted song and revelry; and the early church recognised the need, but changed the centre of attraction ; the wassail bowl was diseased and the manger took its place. The earliest known carols that -have come down ■to us are a strung mixture of piety and revelry.— Lordlings, listen to our lay, We have come from far away To seek Christmas. In this mansion, ive are told, / He His yearly feast doth hold. ! Tis to-day. Mav joy come from God above To all those who Christmas love. One begins, and continues in this strain until:—

To English ale and Gascon wine— And French—-doth Christmas much incline, . And Anjou’s, too. — . A.nd one can imagine at tlie conclusion the entire Saxon company rising like one man, and the old Saxon toasts ot “Wesseyi” and “Drinciieye,” tossing off their cups of wine; English, French “and Anjous, too.” ' Tlie old-time Christmas was not a matter of two or three days, but extended from December 16 until February 1, or the day before Candlemas Day; and further, many of the Christmas carols to-day originally belonged to other festivals. “Good King Wonceslas,” probably our most popular carol, was originally a springtime carol. A Devonshire custom on the other hand originally practised at Christinas Eve, but now relegated to Twelfth Day, is the origin of a wellknown carol song. Round and round tlie apple trees, the farmers and their jci’jii tiuuce and sing:— Here’s to thee, old apple tree, When thou may’st bud; And when thou may’st blow, When tlioii may’st bear apples so. Hats full, Caps lull, . , Bushels, bushels, sacks full, And my pockets lull, top, huzza! The oldest: existing col’ectiori. of Ghnstmas carols was printed by Wynkyne do YVorde in 1521, but only one page of this collection has come down tp°us. This is in the Bodleian Library, and contains, two carols, “The Carol of Huutynge”and “Bryngyng in the Boar’s Head.” Sir AVynkyne do Wortte is reputed to have been the author of the carol, which in simplicity and melody is such a charming gpiece of ballad' poetry. ' . . I saw three ships come sailing m On Christmas day; oil Christmas ... ... I saw three ships come sailing in. On Christmas Day in ilie morning, to quote only tlfe lirst stanza. Inc* singing of Christmas carols is not confined to any locality; the only difference is tlie carols that are sung. In the north of England, on Christmas morning, one can hear in the villages bands of children sing:— ' Ah wish ye a merry Krismas An’ a happy Now Year, A pocket full of money .An’ a.cellar full o’ beer, A fat pig i’ t’hoose, An a cawfin coo, Maister an’ Mistress, ah d’ye do. while in the south; — “Wassail, Wassail,” all over ’he town, Our toast, it is white; our ale, it is

brown; Our-bowl is made of a maple tree ; We be good fellows all; T drink to thee., is still heard. The local carols however, are fewer than those sung generally. The Christmas day has not yet dawned when “Chr.stmas, Awake,'” “God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen,’" “The First Nowell,” “Good King Wencesas,” to name only a few, have not been sung right heartily. The waifs of old time and the caroilers of to-day join issue with

God rest you, merry gentlemen, Let nothing you dismay, For Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Was born upon this day, To save us all from Satan’s power When wo are gone astray. Oh, tidings of comfort and joy! For Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Was born on Christmas Day. How “Hail; Smiling Morn,” came to be included in the Christmas carols is somewhat incomprehensible! The history of our Christmas carols can be traced back to ancient times, and there is evidence of gradual ovolution, the more material sido being subjected to the general idea of the Christ. A vei"y large number of the old carols have been preserved, and one of the latest and quaintest may be quoted in part. It is “The Holy Well.’ As it fell out one May morning, And upon one bright holiday, Sweet Jesus asked of his dear mother If he might go out to play. Sweet Jesus went down to yonder town, As far as the Holy Well, And there did see as fine children As any tongue can tell. Tlio children, however, refused to play with him because they were the vsons and daughters of nobility", while he was born in a stable.

We owe to the Franciscan monks the preservation of many of the old carols. They" collected and altered the okltime songs of revelry, purging them of their .pagan atmosphere and mating them with monkish tunes. They also wrote many new ones, particularly between r.ho reigns of Hcnrv YL and Henry VIII. In time, however, the carols again lost their pious meaning .So much so, that Cromwell attempted to put an end to Christmas merry-making, and endeavoured to confiscate the extant collections of songs and carols, which had in his day" become little hotter than drinking songs. IF I were asked to say which is the commonest of all our carol songs, I think J -should name “Christians, Awake.” It breathes the rnirit of Christmas. It is heard throughout the length of this kingdom of ours. It has appealed strongly to English-speaking people for almost 200 years, and its author was a - north eountrv man. “Christinas Awake.” was written in 1750 by John B.vrom. who was the youngest son of a Manchester merchant. B.vrom is better known for lhe system of shorthand he invented than for the beautiful carol he wrote. It was

written as a birthday giH to the author’s daughter Dolly, loi the ginal of-the carol is marked Chi is tmas Day.” and hears m penc.l the. words, “For Dolly.” Tim words wen set to music by John Mainunjit, < nativo of Stockport, who lor manj years was organ.st at Stockport parish ‘'onJ'might quote many oaroN, and vet not hit on everyone s iavounte, but for tenderness :tnd simplicity I know or none more beautiful than the one written by the grulf and grnn Martin Luther, which is a fitting conclusion to this brief survey , Away in a manger, no cot- for his bed, The 'little Lord Jesus lay clown his sweet head, , , , , , Tlio stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay, The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay. The cattle are having, lhe baby awakes, But 'it tie Lord Jesus, no crying ho makes ; 1 love thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky, And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.