From Italy

Christmas carols originated in Italy, where history tells us that the earliest Christmas hymns took place in Rome in the 4th century. Later, St. Francis of Assisi helped popularize Christmas carols in the 12th century, as well as creating the first symbol devoted exclusively to Christmas with the advent of the Nativity Scene, complete with living figures.

Tu scendi dalle stelle was written in 1732 by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, a prominent Neapolitan priest and scholastic philosopher who founded the Redemptorist Missionary Order. Composed in the musical style of a pastorale, the melody and original lyrics were first written in a Neapolitan dialect, called Quanno nascette Ninno, and later re-written in standard Italian by Pope Pius IX.

Earlier, Pope Julius I chose December 25, 336, AD as the date when Christmas (a contraction of “Mass of Christ”) was first celebrated in an effort to absorb the traditions of the Roman pagan festival of Saturnalia. Initially referred to as “The Feast of the Nativity,” the Christian custom spread to Egypt in 432, and to England by the end of the sixth century. By the eighth century, the celebration of Christmas had traveled all the way to Scandinavia.

Andrea Bocelli – Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle – Live from the Kodak Theatre, USA / 2009

Tu scendi dalle stelle in standard Italian

Tu scendi dalle stelle
O Re del Cielo
e vieni in una grotta
al freddo e al gelo

O Bambino mio Divino
Io tivedo qui a tremar
O Dio Beato
Ahi, quantoticostò
l’avermiamato!

A te, che sei del mondo
il Creatore
mancano panni e fuocom
O mio Signore!

Caro elettoPargoletto
Quantoquestapovertà
più mi innamora!
Giacchétifece amor
poveroancora!

Tu scendi dalle stelle translated Into English as Starry Skies Thou Comest

From starry skies descending
Thou comest, glorious King
A manger low Thy bed
In winter’s icy sting

O my dearest Child most holy
Shudd’ring, trembling in the cold!
Great God, Thou lovest me!
What suff’ring Thou didst bear
That I near Thee might be!

Thou art the world’s Creator
God’s own and true Word
Yet here no robe, no fire
For Thee, Divine Lord.

Dearest, fairest, sweetest Infant
Dire this state of poverty
The more I care for Thee
Since Thou, O Love Divine
Will’st now so poor to be.

From France

Minuit chrétiens or Cantique de Noël; English: O Holy Night

Placide Cappeau was asked in 1843 to write a Christmas poem to celebrate the recent renovation of the church organ in his home town. He obliged with a poem about the birth of Jesus as humanity’s salvation, which he initially called Cantique de Noël (“Christmas Hymn”), but felt the poem required accompanying music. In 1847, he turned to his friend, Adolphe Charles Adam, a prolific French composer of operas and ballets, to compose the music.

For Adolphe Charles Adam, a devote Jewish man, the words of Cantique de Noël were about a day he didn’t celebrate, but still quickly went to work, adding an original score to Cappeau’s poem. The finished product was performed three weeks later at a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

At first, Cantique de Noël was accepted by the church in France, and found its way into various Catholic Christmas services. But, when Placide Cappeau became part of the socialist movement, his personal life was investigated by church leaders, who also discovered that Adolphe Adams was Jewish. The song, which had grown to be one of the most beloved Christmas carols in France, was uniformly denounced by the church as unfit for church services due to its “total absence of the spirit of religion.” Yet even as the church tried to bury the song, the French people continued to sing it — as they do today — and almost a decade after the song’s completion, the lyrics were translated by minister John Sullivan Dwight into English.

Minuit chrétiens or Cantique de Noël

Minuit, chrétiens,
C’estl’heuresolennelle
Oul’Homme Dieu descenditjusqu’à nous
Pour effacer la tacheoriginelle
Et de Son Père arrêter le courroux.
Le monde entiertressailled’espérance
Encettenuit qui luidonne un Sauveur.
Peuple a genoux, attends ta délivrance!
Noel! Noel! Voici le Rédempteur!
Noel! Noel! Voici le Rédempteur!
Le Rédempteur
A brise touteentrave:
La terreest libre et le cielestouvert.
Il voitun Frèreoun’étaitqu’unesclave,
L’amour unit ceuxqu’enchainait le fer.
Qui Lui diranotre reconnaissance?
C’est pour nous tousqu’Ilnait,
Qu’Ilsouffre et meurt.
Peupledebout, chante ta délivrance!
Noel! Noel! Chantons le Rédempteur!
Noel! Noel! Chantons le Rédempteur!

Cantique de Noël translated into English as O Holy Night

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth;
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;

Chorus
Fall on your knees, Oh hear the angel voices!
O night divine! O night when Christ was born.
O night, O holy night, O night divine.
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming;
With glowing hearts by his cradle we stand:
So, led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land,
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our friend;

Chorus
He knows our need, To our weakness no stranger!
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King! your King! before him bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is Love and His gospel is Peace;
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother,
And in his name all oppression shall cease,
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful Chorus raise we;
Let all within us praise his Holy name!

Chorus
Christ is the Lord, then ever! ever praise we!
His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim!

From Wales

OerYw’rGwr (Nos Galan); English: Deck the Hall

OerYw’rGwr (Nos Galan); translated into English as Soon The Hoar Old Year Will Leave Us for New Year’s Eve, is now a traditional Christmas carol, based on a Welsh melody, dating back to the sixteenth century. The repeated “fa la la” also goes back to the earlier Welsh and may originate from medieval ballads. The old Welsh air, was first found in a musical manuscript by Welsh harpist John Parry dating back to the 1700s. The tune soon spread widely, with Mozart allegedly using it in his 18th violin sonata (1778) and later arranged by Haydn with the original Welsh title, Nos Galan (1803).

The English lyrics were written by the Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant in 1862. The phrase “‘Tis the season” has become synonymous with the Christmas and Happy Holidays’ (a contraction of “Happy Holy Days”) season, with “’tis” an archaic contraction of “it is.”

Nos Galan (OerYw’rGwr) in Welsh

Oeryw’rgwrsy’nmethucaru,
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
Hen fynyddoeddanwyl Cymru,
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
Iddoefa’u car gynhesaf,
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
Gwyliaullawenflwyddnesaf,
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
I’rhelbulusoeryw’rbiliau
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
Syddyndyfodyn y Gwyliau,
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
Gwrandobregethmewnunpennill,
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
Bythnawariafwyna’thennill
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
Oeryw’reiraarEryi,
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
Er fodgwrthbangwlanenarni,
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
Oeryw’rbobolnaofalan’,
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
Gwrdda’ugilyddAr Nos Galan,
Fal la lalala, la lalala.

The old Welsh song Nos Galan (OerYw’rGwr) performed by the IONA.

Nos Galan (OerYw’rGwr) translated into English

Cold is the man who can’t love,
Fal la lalala, la lala la.
The old mountains of dear Wales,
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
To him and his warmest friend,
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
A cheerful holiday next year,
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
Cold is the snow on Mount Snowdon,
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
Even though it has a flannel banket on it,
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
Cold are the people who don’t care,
Fal la lalala, la lalala.
To meet together on New Year’s Eve,
Fa la lalala, la lalala.

From Austria

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht; English: Silent Night

The lyrics to Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht were written by Josef Mohr, a young and impoverished Austrian priest in Oberndorf bei Salzburg.

On an 1818 Christmas Eve, Mohr frantically walked two miles in the snow to reach his friend, Franz Xaver Gruber, a school teacher who also served as the church’s choir master and organist. Mohr brought with him a poem he had written some two years earlier. He desperately needed a carol for the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass that was only a few hours away, and hoped his friend could set his poem to music. Gruber quickly composed the melody for Stille Nacht, with an arrangement played on a guitar because the church organ was in disrepair. That evening at Midnight Mass, Gruber led the congregation at St. Nicholas in the first rendition of Stille Nacht. Gruber came from equally humble origins as Mohr, and the close friendship of the two men is what led to the creation of Stille Nacht.

Today Stille Nacht is regarded as one of the most famous Christmas carols in history. It has been translated into multiple languages, with the Bing Crosby version the third-bestselling single in the world. A rebuilt Silent Night Chapel in Oberndorf is now a cultural landmark.The song was declared to be an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011.

The original first verse of Stille Nacht

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Allesschläft; einsamwacht
Nur das trautehochheiligePaar
Holder KnabeimlockigenHaar
Schlaf in himmlischerRuh!
Schlaf in himmlischerRuh!

Stille Nacht translated in English as Silent Night

Silent night! Holy night!
Everything is asleep.
Only the faithful holy couple are awake, alone.
Lovely boy with curly hair.
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace.

From Lithuania

Oy Chanukah; English: Oh, Hanukkah

The original Yiddish version of Oy Chanukah was written by Mordkhe Rivesman (1868-1924) in Lithuania. The song was also called Latke Song and Khanike Oy Khanike.

The song was first published in Susman Kiselgof’s 1912 Lider-Zamlbukh Song Anthology. The English words, while not an exact translation, are roughly based on the Yiddish language. There is also a Hebrew version which has the same melody; its words penned by Avraham Avronin. The lyrics correspond to the original (more so than the English version), with slight variations for rhythm and meter. Israel’s Oy Chanukah remains a popular song, but since the country has a rich inventory of Chanukah songs, it is not as exclusively popular as the English version in English speaking countries, or the Yiddish version of the past.

Oy Chanukah

Oy Chanike, Oy Chanike,
A yontef a sheyner
A lustiker, a freylecher
Nitonochazoyner
Alle nacht in dreydlechshpiln mir
Zudigheyse latkes, esn on a shir.
Geshvinder, tsindt, kinder, di Chanikelichtelech on.
Zolyederbazunder, bazingen dem vunder
Un tantzenfreylekh in kon.

Translation in English
Oh Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah,
A holiday, a lovely one,
A cheerful and happy one, there’s none other like it.
Every night with dreidels do we play,
Boiling hot latkes, do we eat.
Quickly children light, the Hanukkah candles.
Let’s all sing, and let’s all jump,
And let’s all dance together! Let everyone sing of the wonder,
And let’s all dance together!

For more information about Hanukkah, visit Chanukah Potato Latke History and Recipe

Secular Holiday Songs

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) is a Christmas song written and released in 1971 as a single by John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir.

The Chanukah Song was composed by comedian Adam Sandler along with Saturday Night Live writers, Lewis Morton and Ian Maxtone-Graham. It was first performed by Sandler on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update on December 3, 1994.

Brenda Lee recorded the holiday classic Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, penned by Johnny Marks in 1958, when she was just 13-years-old.

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, written by British songwriter Tommie Connor in 1952, was one of the tracks on Jackson 5 Christmas Album, which was released on October 15, 1970.

Blue Christmas, a song about unrequited love during the holidays, was written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson, and most famously performed by Elvis Presley. When Elvis sang “Blue Christmas” during his 1968 TV Special, co-singer Martina McBride was not even two years old. Nevertheless, 40 years later, with the help of some savvy technology, McBride was able to step back in time and perform with the rock n’ roll legend.

Father Christmas – what Santa Claus is known as in the U.K. – was written by The Kinks’ leader and founding member, Ray Davies. It was released as a single by The Kinks on Nov. 25, 1977, and is considered rather unusual as a Christmas song.

The post Christmas Songs & Hanukkah, too appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Curated by Ed Boitano

Letters to Santa Reveal the Toll the Pandemic is Taking on Kids

Courtesy Faith Karimi, CNN

Jonah wants nothing from Santa this year except for a cure for coronavirus.

Anthony told Santa he wants a magical button he could press to transport him away from the weary reality of the pandemic.

Jasmyne’s Christmas list is short and to the point. “This year, I would like end of Covid-19, world peace, climate control, new Xbox,” it reads.

In their letters to Santa Claus, kids across the US are still asking for toys, clothes, Legos and video games. But in a year filled with illness and uncertainty, a review of letters addressed to the North Pole and collected through the Post Office’s Operation Santa program reveals the pandemic is weighing heavily on children.

Some are imploring Santa to make coronavirus go away. Others are asking for masks for Christmas. Still others write about the challenges of going to school online or how their parents can’t afford to buy presents this year because they lost their jobs.

“Dear Santa,” Jonah wrote. “I don’t want anything for Christmas, but I would like to ask you if you can do me a favor: Can you please find a cure for Covid-19 and give it to us to save the world. Thank you.”

MORE

Eight Elaborate Christmas Displays Across America — And the People Behind Them

In her new book, photographer Danelle Manthey captures a distinct type of American folk art: Christmas light decoration.

READ ON

Happy Holidays and a Good and Healthy New Year to Us All

By Susanne Servin of Herzerl Tours

ADVENT – is the quietest time of the year (line of an Austrian poem).

Advent time (which is usually the four weeks in December and translates to expectant waiting) in a non- religious way is very meaningful for all us right now – as we are expectantly waiting for a relief of this awful pandemic that ravages our country and the world – for a vaccine to come.

But there is HOPE!!!

And to cheer us all up or to take our mind of things – lets bake!

My most favorite Christmas cookie recipe is Vanille Kipferl (vanilla crescents) – it’s a family recipe going back to my great grandmother, Emilie Zimmermann.

I have featured it on my website but let me send it to you again.

MORE

Best Cities for New Year’s

Courtesy Diana Polk, WalletHub Communications Manager

With New Year’s around the corner but the scale of celebrations limited by the COVID-19 pandemic, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2020’s Best Cities for New Year’s.

MORE

Dublin & Galway Selected Friendliest Cities in Europe

It’s travel award season on the island of Ireland! In recent weeks, the island has been awarded a number of exciting accolades. Both Dublin and Galway have topped the Condé Nast friendliest cities in Europe list, while EPIC The Irish Immigration Museum has been awarded Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction by the World Travel Awards for the second year running.

Meanwhile, Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel experts were wowed by the Burren Ecotourism Network’s community effort, naming them one of ten winners in the new ‘Community’ category of Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2021. Ireland’s Burren Ecotourism Network has been named one of ten winners in the new ‘Community’ category of Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2021.

8 Immune-Boosting Smoothies We Want to Sip All Day Long

Courtesy Mary Nunes

Whether it’s flu season, allergy season, or you’re just in the mood for a refreshing, flavorful drink, an immune-boosting smoothie is always a good idea. By snacking on something as easy and convenient as a smoothie, you can jam-pack your body with antioxidants, vitamins, and more superfoods that kick-start your immune system into gear. Smoothies are (rightfully) all the rage these days, as they are easy to make, totally filling, and can give your body a plethora of health benefits.

READ HERE

You Might be an American Traveling Abroad if…

Inspired by Jeff Foxworthy with assistance from the Alot Travel Team

If you wear a Baseball Cap while traveling abroad you might be an American tourist.

Baseball is the American pastime, right? At least, it was at one point, and it’s still thought of that way, even though we watch more pro football than baseball at this point.

Still, we love the caps, and we carry them around with us everywhere — including overseas, where they immediately mark us as Americans.

MORE

5 Things Science Says Will Make You Happier

Research-backed habits that will improve your outlook and positive attitude

By Nataly Kogan
Medically reviewed by Daniel B. Block, MD

It’s easy to assume that things like money and a luxurious lifestyle lead to happiness, but research shows that it’s the more simple experiences — like practicing gratitude or spending time with friends — that promote a sunny outlook.

Whether you need to shift from negative thoughts or want to continue a streak of positivity, here are five ways to boost happiness every day.

MORE

The Pentagon is Missing the Big Picture on “Stars and Stripes”

By Mark T. Hauser

The Pentagon’s plan to scrap funding for the Stars and Stripes newspaper isn’t just an attack on a historic military institution. It’s ignoring the lessons the paper’s history offers for efficient operation and integrating military operations with the economic life of the nation.

MORE

 

Ireland’s Voices Stream Christmas Hope to the World

The home of Guinness in Dublin will be the location for a unique Christmas concert that will connect the heart of Ireland with the world.

One of Ireland’s most respected musical events, Other Voices, is staging a special Christmas show in the Guinness Storehouse, which will be live streamed around the world on 16 December.

Featuring a wide range of Irish talent, ‘Other Voices: Home at the Guinness Storehouse’ will see this iconic building in the heart of Dublin come alive with an eclectic programme of Irish music, stories and songs.

MORE

How an Ancient Revolt Sparked the Festival of Lights

By Amy Briggs

It’s time to celebrate Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights that lasts for eight days and nights. This year Hanukkah starts on Thursday, December 10, and ends Friday, December 18. The holiday’s popularity has surged in modern times, but its origins date back to the turbulent centuries following the death of Alexander the Great, the ancient Macedonian leader who conquered the Persian Empire.

READ ON

The Grinch That Keeps on Grinching

A new television special hearkens back to the nearly 50 years of Christmas thievery from the Dr. Seuss classic

Courtesy Patrick Sauer, SMITHSONIANMAG.COM

The first time readers young and old laid their eyes on the Grinch, he wasn’t green. He wasn’t on television, on stage, or even in a book. He didn’t even debut amidst the Jing-Tinglers of the season, but rather during the dog days of summer. In 1955, a 33-line illustrated poem “The Hoobub and the Grinch” ran in Redbook magazine. In it, Dr. Seuss introduces the Grinch as a con artist selling a piece of string for 98 cents to a yellow-furred galoot out catching some rays. It’s “worth a lot more than that old-fashioned sun,” says the Grinch. (A scam to be sure, but the Grinch is right about the broiling damage that can be done without proper UV skin care.)

MORE

No Two Alike: The First Photos of Snowflakes

Courtesy of Brian Clark Howard, National Geographic

Published in 1923, these vintage images highlight the beauty and mystery of snow crystals.

In the late 1800s, a self-educated Vermont farmer by the name of Wilson Bentley made the first successful image, or “photomicrograph,” of a single snowflake. He used a bellows camera attached to a microscope.

Here are some of the very first photos of snowflakes.

SEE THE PHOTOS

WNPA Recently Announced the Recipients of its Annual Awards

Western National Parks Association (WNPA), a nonprofit education partner of the National Park Service (NPS) since 1938, recently announced the recipients of its annual awards. For over 30 years, WNPA has recognized individuals and organizations who make exceptional contributions to national parks and increase awareness of WNPA’s mission.

MORE

What Americans Abroad Should Not Expect

Pancakes

The fluffy flour-based pancakes that American’s have come to love at breakfast time (or for brinner) just aren’t found abroad. French crêpes are too thin. The Japanese version (okonomiyaki) is too thick and most often topped with savory things like meat, seafood, and cabbage. Australian-style pancakes are too eggy and have sugar in the dough.

MORE

The Radical History of Corporate Sensitivity Training

By Beth Blum

During these turbulent months, American corporations have responded to demands for racial justice by straining to showcase their sensitive sides. They’ve pledged, like Quaker Oats, to change offensive product names; they’ve scrambled, like Prada, nascar, and Delta, to implement emergency sensitivity workshops; and they’ve opted, like most of the major publishing houses, to hire sensitivity readers to vet new manuscripts for racist representations. Not so at the Donald Trump White House.

MORE

The Future of History in the Pandemic Age

By Michael Creswell

Historians need to consider and prepare for changes to the profession that will follow the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attempting to predict the future is always perilous, and events frequently humble those who dare to try. Making predictions is especially hazardous for historians, who often struggle to explain the past. Peering into the future is not part of their professional training, and their efforts to do so are likely to fail.

MORE

“Heroes of Our America”: Reading a “Patriotic” History of the United States

By Alan J. Singer

Not long ago, history textbooks were written as patriotic fables. Examining one offers a warning about the cost of putting mythmaking ahead of historical learning

Heroes of Our America (1952) was a history book for fourth graders published by the Iroquois Publishing Company of Syracuse, New York. Its co-authors were Gertrude and John Van Duyn Southworth. John Southworth, with Harvard and Columbia University degrees, taught at a number of schools in the New York metropolitan area and was president of the publishing company. Gertrude Southworth, his frequent co-author, was also his mother.

I picked it off my office shelf after Donald Trump called for teaching “patriotic history” in American schools as a defense against a mythical radical “left” conspiracy and to ensure that  “our youth will be taught to love America.” Heroes of Our America is an example of the kind of “patriotic history” Donald and I were both exposed to as children in the 1950s. I grabbed the book when it was discarded from the Hofstra University Curriculum Materials Center only a couple of years ago.

MORE

The post Kids’ Letters to Santa, Jewish Festival of Lights appeared first on Traveling Archive.