Christmas

So, what are “frankincense and myrrh”?

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I think we all have a vague idea that these two items, brought by the Magi as gifts (along with gold) to the Christ child, have something to do with perfume or incense, but that’s probably about it. They’re very interesting, though, both in themselves and in their symbolism. So I do want to talk about all that, but first let me say here that the Magi did not come to the stable. All those manger scenes with them and their camels are just plain wrong. But without them the scene wouldn’t be nearly as colorful, would it? So I guess we won’t insist too loudly on scriptural accuracy in decorations.

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Does “Personent Hodie” have anything to do with persons wearing hoodies?

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Sorry.  Couldn’t resist.  And of course the answer is “no,” although hooded monks have probably sung this carol many times through the ages.

So what does the title mean, and (leading question here) are there any interesting facts about the song’s background?  “Personent” means to resound or resonate, literally “to sound through.”  “Hodie” shows up in many Latin Christmas carols; it simply means “today” or “this day.”  So the title means something like “let resounding happen today.”  Perhaps before I go any further I should provide the Latin verses and their literal English translation so that you’ll know what I’m talking about as I go through said background:

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A Pair of Geographically-Named Carols from Sussex and Wessex

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Was the Sussex carol written in Sussex, and the Wexford carol in Wexford?

With this question we are plunged back in to the delightful, charming, and sometimes weird world of traditional Christmas carols, and indeed of folk music in general. Since true folk music, and not someone’s attempt to write something that sounds like folk music, is passed down orally before being written, it’s always pretty much impossible to find the original version, if indeed there is such a thing.

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Parts of “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” seem awfully dark.  Why is that?

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In order to answer this question, we have to look at what was going on in the life of the lyrics’ author and in his times. Unlike many Christmas carols, we have a known author and date for the words. The words are from a poem of the same name by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow written in December of 1863, when the Civil War was still raging and the outcome anything but clear.

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How Does “Ave Maria” Fit into the Christmas Story?

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Leonardo da Vinci, “The Annunciation,” via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

It fits in as the precipitating incident of the story as a whole, since Christmas revolves around the birth of Christ. “Hail, Mary!” is the greeting that the angel Gabriel gives to Mary when he appears to her and tells her that she will be the mother of the Messiah. This event is typically called the “annnunciation,” or announcement. Note that this event happens nine months before the birth of Christ, not at Christmas itself. A version of the angel’s words has been incorporated into the worship services of both the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox churches. Let me begin with a literal word-for-word translation from both languages involved, Latin and Russian.

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How could three ships sail into Bethlehem when it’s located in the desert?

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Like many other Christmas carols, the words to “I Saw Three Ships” don’t make much sense when you look closely at them. Had you ever asked yourself the question in the title? Probably not. Most of us don’t carry around a map of Palestine in our heads, so the absurdities of the lyrics aren’t obvious. I’m therefore including such a map below this post, which will serve to prove that indeed it would be impossible for the words of this carol to have any connection to reality at all. So what on earth are the words talking about?

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