HURON CAROL
Following our quest for finding the oldest Harvest hymn, we have found what may
be the oldest Christmas Carol. The "Huron Carol" (or "Twas in the Moon of
Wintertime") is a Canadian Christmas hymn (Canada's oldest Christmas song),
written probably in 1642 by Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie
among the Hurons in Canada. Its original lyrics are in the language of the
Indigenous people among whom de Brébeuf lived, set to the music of a French folk
song. In the carol, Jesus is visited not by shepherds but by hunters, and the
Magi, who are described as 'chiefs from afar', bring gifts of fox and beaver
pelts instead of gold, frankincense and myrrh. (BBC History Magazine - 21 Nov.
2024)
Below is an English translation of a shortened version by Jesse Edgar Middleton.
| 'Twas in
the moon of wintertime When all the birds had fled That mighty Gitchi Manitou Sent angel choirs instead Before their light, the stars grew dim And wondering hunters heard the hymn 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
|