Dec 2 The Holly and the Ivy

Dec 2 The Holly and the Ivy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holly_and_the_Ivy
http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/hollyandivy.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Walford_Davies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Sharp

The holly and the ivy when they are both full grown
Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown

Refrain:
Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a blossom as white as lily flower
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to be our sweet savior
Refrain

The holly bears a berry as red as any blood
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to do poor sinners good
Refrain

The holly bears a prickle as sharp as any thorn
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ on Christmas Day in the morn
Refrain

The holly bears a bark as bitter as any gall
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ for to redeem us all
Refrain

During Pagan times, holly, ivy, and other greenery such as mistletoe were originally used to help celebrate the Winter Solstice Festival and to ward off evil spirits and celebrate new growth.
As people became Christian, they kept the tradition of the greenery, but gave it Christian meanings. The prickly leaves of the holly represent the crown of thorns that Jesus wore when he was crucified. The berries are the drops of blood that were shed by Jesus because of the thorns. In Scandinavia holly is known as the Christ Thorn. Ivy has to cling to something to support itself as it grows. This reminds us that we need to cling to God for support in our lives. In German tradition, ivy is only used outdoors. A piece of ivy tied to the outside of a church was supposed to protect it from lightning!

Sir Henry Walford Davies is a British composer who wrote a popular choral arrangement of The Holly and the Ivy that is often performed at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and by choirs around the world. As a child, he enjoyed playing any instrument he could lay his hands on, often in an informal band with his brothers, cousins and friends. He also developed as a singer and became a boy chorister at St. George's, Windsor. From the age of twelve he sang fourteen church services a week and attended school there. In adulthood, he was well known as an organist, teacher, and composer. He was knighted in 1922, and held the title Master of the King's Musick from 1934 until his death in 1941. Most of his compositions are religious in nature, including several well-known Christmas carol arrangements.

Englishman Cecil Sharp, who is behind the text for this carol, was a man of varied talents, skills, and abilities. Many of England's traditional dances and music are only known today thanks to his work in recording and publishing them. He lived in England, Australia, and the United States at various times throughout his life. His life experience included working as a bank clerk, associate to a chief justice, music teacher and lecturer, organist, choral and symphonic conductor, and composer. He was especially interested in British folk dance and music, and by compiling song books for use in schools, did much to acquaint British children with their national musical heritage. During WWI when he lived in the United States, he travelled through the mountains of Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee, recording a treasure trove of Appalachian folk songs and researching the link between American and British fold songs.

The music and most of the text for The Holly and the Ivy was collected by Cecil Sharp from a woman in Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire. This carol is probably related to an older carol: "The Contest of the Ivy and the Holly", a contest between the traditional emblems of woman (the ivy) and man (the holly) respectively.

Holly stands in the hall, fair to behold:
Ivy stands without the door, she is full sore a cold.
Nay, ivy, nay, it shall not be I wis;
Let holly have the mastery, as the manner is.

Holly and his merry men, they dance and they sing,
Ivy and her maidens, they weep and they wring.
Nay, ivy, nay, it shall not be I wis;
Let holly have the mastery, as the manner is.

Ivy hath chapped fingers, she caught them from the cold,
So might they all have, aye, that with ivy hold.
Nay, ivy, nay, it shall not be I wis;
Let holly have the mastery, as the manner is.

Holly hath berries red as any rose,
The forester, the hunter, keep them from the does.
Nay, ivy, nay, it shall not be I wis;
Let holly have the mastery, as the manner is.

Ivy hath berries black as any sloe;
There come the owl and eat him as she go.
Nay, ivy, nay, it shall not be I wis;
Let holly have the mastery, as the manner is.

Holly hath birds a fair full flock,
The nightingale, the popinjay, the gentle laverock.
Nay, ivy, nay, it shall not be I wis;
Let holly have the mastery, as the manner is.

Good ivy, what birds hast thou?
None but the owlet that cries how, how.
Nay, ivy, nay, it shall not be I wis;
Let holly have the mastery, as the manner is.

Craft: holly, berries, ivy
http://www.origami-club.com/en/ Christmas>Holly Leaf
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/xmas/mpaperholly.html