Huron Carol
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The "Huron Carol" (or "Twas in the Moon of Wintertime") is a Canadian
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
(Canada's oldest Christmas song), written probably in 1642 by
Jean de Brébeuf Jean de Brébeuf () (25 March 1593 16 March 1649) was a French Jesuit missionary who travelled to New France (Canada) in 1625. There he worked primarily with the Huron (Wyandot people) for the rest of his life, except for a few years in Franc ...
, a
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
at
Sainte-Marie among the Hurons Sainte-Marie among the Hurons (french: Sainte-Marie-au-pays-des-Hurons) was a French Jesuit settlement in Wendake, the land of the Wendat, near modern Midland, Ontario, from 1639 to 1649. It was the first European settlement in what is now the ...
in Canada. Brébeuf wrote the lyrics in the
native language A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...
of the Huron/Wendat people; the song's original Huron title is "Jesous Ahatonhia" ("''Jesus, he is born''"). The song's melody is based on a traditional French
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...
song, " Une Jeune Pucelle" ("A Young Maid"). The well-known English lyrics were written in 1926 by
Jesse Edgar Middleton Jesse Edgar Middleton (November 3, 1872 – May 27, 1960) was a Canadian journalist, historian and songwriter. Biography Middleton was born in Pilkington, Ontario, the son of Margaret Agar and Rev. Eli Middleton, a Methodist minister. He attend ...
and the copyright to these lyrics was held by The Frederick Harris Music Co., Limited, but entered the public domain in 2011. The English version of the hymn uses imagery familiar in the early 20th century, in place of the traditional Nativity story. This version is derived from Brébeuf's original song and Huron religious concepts. In the English version,
Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
is born in a "lodge of broken bark" and wrapped in a "robe of rabbit skin". He is surrounded by hunters instead of
shepherd A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...
s, and the
Magi Magi (; singular magus ; from Latin ''magus'', cf. fa, مغ ) were priests in Zoroastrianism and the earlier religions of the western Iranians. The earliest known use of the word ''magi'' is in the trilingual inscription written by Darius th ...
are portrayed as "chiefs from afar" who bring him "fox and beaver pelts" instead of the more familiar
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,
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and
myrrh Myrrh (; from Semitic, but see '' § Etymology'') is a gum-resin extracted from a number of small, thorny tree species of the genus ''Commiphora''. Myrrh resin has been used throughout history as a perfume, incense and medicine. Myrrh mi ...
. The English translation uses a traditional Algonquian name, Gitchi Manitou, for
God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
, which is not in the original Wyandot version. The original lyrics are now sometimes modified to use imagery accessible to Christians who are not familiar with the cultures of Canada's First Peoples. The song remains a common Christmas hymn in Canadian churches of many Christian denominations. It is also found in several American hymnals, including ''
The Hymnal 1982 ''The Hymnal 1982'' is the primary hymnal of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It is one in a series of seven official hymnals of the Episcopal Church, including ''The Hymnal 1940''. Unlike many Anglican churches (including the ...
'' of the
Episcopal Church (United States) The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop o ...
(No. 114), ''The United Methodist Hymnal'' (No. 244) and ''Evangelical Lutheran Worship'' (No. 284). Because the melody spans a modest range, it is ideally suited to instruments that have a limited pitch range, such as the
Native American flute The Native American flute is a flute that is held in front of the player, has open finger holes, and has two chambers: one for collecting the breath of the player and a second chamber which creates sound. The player breathes into one end of the ...
.


Versions

The song was included, as "Jesous Ahatonia", on
Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...
's 1952 album '' Christmas Day in the Morning'' and was later released as a Burl Ives single under the title "Indian Christmas Carol".
Bruce Cockburn Bruce Douglas Cockburn ( ; born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to jazz-influenced rock and his lyrics cover a broad range of topics including human rights, environmental issues, po ...
has also recorded a rendition of the song in the original Huron. Tom Jackson performed this song during his annual ''
Huron Carole {{Inline citations, date=April 2021 The Huron Carole is a Canadian touring musical production which raises donations for local foodbanks, in collaboration with Food Banks Canada. Founded and led by entertainer Tom Jackson, the Huron Carole toure ...
'' tour.
Crash Test Dummies Crash Test Dummies are a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. The band is most identifiable through Brad Roberts (vocals, guitar) and his distinctive bass-baritone voice. The band members have fluctuated over the years, but its best kno ...
did it on their 2002 album, ''
Jingle All the Way ''Jingle All the Way'' is a 1996 American Christmas family comedy film directed by Brian Levant. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad as two rival fathers, mattress salesman Howard Langston (Schwarzenegger) and postal worker Myron Larab ...
''. A haunting choral arrangement by R. Anderson was included on the 1997 album ''The Mystery of Christmas'', by the Canadian group the Elora Festival Singers. A new recording with a very mystical setting of the Huron Carol was released in 2011 performed by
The Canadian Tenors The Tenors (formerly known as The Canadian Tenors) are a vocal group consisting of Victor Micallef, Clifton Murray, Alberto Urso, and Mark Masri. They perform operatic pop music that is a mixture of classical and pop, featuring songs such as ...
. In 2001, Terry McDade and The McDades recorded a version featuring Indian bansuri on their Free Radio Records release "Midwinter". In 2002, Heather Dale released a trilingual version (Wendat uron French, English) on her ''This Endris Night'' album, updated in 2017 as a YouTube video with an American Sign Language translation. Dale uses a very different English translation, attributed to Father H. Kierans.
Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan Order of Canada, OC Order of British Columbia, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing ( ...
recorded the song on her 2016 holiday album, '' Wonderland'', released on the October 21, 2016.


Lyrics


Huron

The original words of the carol in the
Wyandot language Wyandot (sometimes spelled Wandat) is the Iroquoian language traditionally spoken by the people known variously as Wyandot or Wyandotte, descended from the Tionontati. It is considered a sister to the Wendat language, spoken by descendants of th ...
(Huron).


English

The 1926 English version by Jesse Edgar Middleton. 'Twas in the moon of winter-time When all the birds had fled, That mighty Gitchi Manitou Sent angel choirs instead; Before their light the stars grew dim, And wandering hunters heard the hymn: "Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, In excelsis gloria." Within a lodge of broken bark The tender Babe was found, A ragged robe of rabbit skin Enwrapp'd His beauty round; But as the hunter braves drew nigh, The angel song rang loud and high... "Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, In excelsis gloria." The earliest moon of wintertime Is not so round and fair As was the ring of glory On the helpless infant there. The chiefs from far before him knelt With gifts of fox and beaver pelt. "Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, In excelsis gloria." O children of the forest free, O sons of Manitou, The Holy Child of earth and heaven Is born today for you. Come kneel before the radiant Boy Who brings you beauty, peace and joy. "Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born, In excelsis gloria."


English Translation of the Wendat

Have courage, you who are humans. Jesus, He is born. Behold, it has fled, the spirit who had us as prisoner. Do not listen to it, as it corrupts our minds, the spirit of our thoughts. They are spirits, coming with a message for us, the sky people. They are coming to say, 'Come on, be on top of life, rejoice!' 'Mary has just given birth, come on, rejoice.' 'Three have left for such a place; they are men of great matter.' 'A star that has just appeared over the horizon leads them there.' 'He will seize the path, a star that leads them there.' As they arrived there, where He was born, Jesus. The star was at the point of stopping, He was not far past it. Having found someone for them, He says, 'Come here.' Behold, they have arrived there and have seen Jesus. They praised a name many times saying, 'Hurray, He is good in nature.' They greeted Him with respect, Oiling His scalp many times, saying, 'Hurray!' 'We will give to Him honour to His name.' 'Let us oil His scalp many times, show reverence for Him, As He comes to be compassionate with us.' It is providential that you love us, and think 'I should make them part of My family.'


See also

*
List of Christmas carols This list of Christmas carols is organized by country, language or culture of origin. Originally, a "Christmas carol" referred to a piece of vocal music in carol form whose lyrics centre on the theme of Christmas or the Christmas season. The d ...


References


External links


J.E. Middleton's English lyrics to the Huron Carol (n.b., under Canadian and international copyright protection until 2011)


* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080513201746/http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/charlene/huroncarol1.html Original Wendat language (Huron) lyrics with pronunciation guide and translation
Lyrics, translation and discussion of the Bruce Cockburn version of the Huron Carol, including critique of the Middleton lyrics

Rewritten rock music version called ''The Lake Huron Carol'' set in the modern Lake Huron area; page includes historical notes on the original song.

Wendat(Huron)/French/English version by Canadian Artist Heather Dale

Rendition by Frédérique Pinot, Jérôme Gofette, Alexandre Gérard and Tonio from France
{{authority control Canadian folk songs Canadian Christian hymns Christmas carols First Nations music 1643 works Wyandot Jesuit history in North America New France History of Catholicism in Canada Native American religion Christmas in Canada 17th-century hymns