The Christmas carols – Τα κάλαντα των Χριστουγέννων
Etymology
The word Kalanda derives from the latin word “kalendae”. The word “kalendae” has its roots to the ancient Greek word, καλέω-ῶ.
Carol’ s origins
Kalanda are folk songs that are sung every year mainly on the eve of major religious holidays. The origin of this custom may be Dionysian. In past years, before Jesus Christ birth, during the Dionysian festivities, people used to sing about the New Year. They used to hold an olive branch wrapped in a sheep’s wool. This object symbolised fertility and euphoria.
Carols nowadays
There are Christmas carols, New Year (St. Basil) carols, the Epiphany carols and even the Feast of Palms (or Lazarus) carols. The main traditional musical instruments that accompany the carols are the triangle, the lute, the tambourine, the tsabouna and the flute. The main purpose of these songs is to wish “Xronia Polla”. The Christmas carols lyrics put across the global message of Jesus birth as a human. Chistmas is the celebration of love and hope. Each geographical region in Greece has its own traditional carols for the Christmas Day. The believers from Macedonia, Peloponnese, Crete, the islands of the Aegean sea and Asia Minor sing their traditional carols.
In past times, when children sang the carols, the house keepers offered them sweets. Nowdays children are given money.
The first lyrics of the most known Christmas carols are as follows:
Good afternoon lords,
if the reason of your arrival,
is the Divine Birth of Christ
I will sing to your home.
Jesus Christ is born today
the heavens rejoice, the whole nature rejoices.
He is born into the manger
the King of the heavens, the Poet of all.
A crowd of Angels sing “Glory to the highest”
the faith of the shepherds is worthy.
Asia Minor Christmas carols
Christmas – the first holiday of the year.
Come out young people and learn that Christ is born,
He is born and raised with honey and with milk.
The lords eat the honey, the milk the masters,
and the bee herb, the ladies bathe with it.
Happy and blessed Christmas full of Love and Peace!
Λεξιλόγιο – Vocabulary
Ιησούς Χριστός = Jesus Christ
η γέννηση = birth
τα κάλαντα = carols
ο παραδοσιακός – η παραδοσιακή – το παραδοσιακό = traditional
