CANADA MILITARY NEWS:
-Christmas celebrated in different countries around the world- it's the
season of hugs, smiles and thankfullness- FROM CANADA WITH LOVE- GOD BLESS OUR
TROOPS- then, now and always- u are the ONLY reason we are free on this day....
Peace of Christ cause that's how I roll-
check all the NATIONS AND THEIR CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS...
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CHRISTMAS CANADA- 1600s- Global Santa History -Stories
from UK/USA/Canada/Europe- beautiful - God bless our troops - God bless the
child in all of us -God bless our Canada peace and goodwill 2 all
Christmas
Carols 
Please choose from the three options below (or click on the options in the
side menu) to find out more about carols!
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Christmas
Traditions & Customs
Find out about the history of Christmas Customs and
Christmas Traditions, how they are celebrated and what they represent &
mean in Christmas.
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Candles
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Presents
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Hanukkah
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Kwanzaa
Santa's A Canadian
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Christmas
Traditions & Customs
http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/
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Ave Maria
Christmas
Around the World
Click on a green country on the map or use the list below!
Christmas Traditions around the world and how Christmas
is celebrated in different countries and cultures
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Contact
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The Christmas Story
Read, Watch and Listen to The Christmas Story!
The History of The Christmas Story
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Christmas Fun, Games & Activities
There are lots of fun Christmas things to do
including Christmas Activities, Games and things to make and eat!
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blogged- JESSE TREE
O CANADA- the story of Jesus- the Jesse Tree- and the wonders of Christmas - just a little history lesson - twas the night before christmas- even in Chinese
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2013/12/canterbury-cathedral-upper-half-of-poor.html
O CANADA- the story of Jesus- the Jesse Tree- and the wonders of Christmas - just a little history lesson - twas the night before christmas- even in Chinese
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2013/12/canterbury-cathedral-upper-half-of-poor.html
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BLOGGED 2013- Christmas
CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Let's have some Christmas cheer troops- Videos and jokes and honour 2da 4 South Pole - Walking With The Wounded Allied Challenge- South Pole-here they come December 2013
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2013/12/canada-military-news-lets-have-some.html
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BLOGGED 2013-Early December-
CANADA MILITARY NEWS: South Pole Wounded Warriors Allied Challenge-Incredible story and victory of 4 counries of Wounded Warriors - Antartica 2 South Pole- Victory run/walk success- in harshest climates- UK/Canada/Australia and USA- The Journey and success proving 2 a billion folks proudly- disabilities are abilities in disguise- did we make u proud- u surely did and do..Environmentalists could NOT make it.... u ran and walked it.... the world rejoiced and Santa and NORAD hugged u along the way.The Journey 2 Victory blogged daily- December 2013/O CANADA TROOPS- we love u so- honour
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2013/11/canada-military-news-nov24-true-patriot.html
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BLOGGED- CHRISTMAS 2013
CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Troops Christmas Wish List-NORAD AND SANTA looking 4 u kids- what 2 mail and where pls- December 2013- the good stuff- NORAD-SANTA/Videos- We love u so much NATO-ISAF GLOBAL TROOPS- land, sea, air
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2013/11/canada-military-news-hey-canada-heres.html
Some Stories behind Christmas Carols
On this page, there are some of the stories behind the
carols below.
I Saw Three Ships
The tune of this carol is a traditional English folk song
and the words of this carol (of which there are several versions) were written
by wandering minstrels as they travelled through the country. In the original
version of the carol, the Three Ships were the ones taking the supposed skulls
of the wise men to Cologne cathedral in Germany. However, since the Middle
Ages, when it was first written, there have been many different lyrics with different
Bible characters being on the ships. The most common lyrics used today are
about Mary and Jesus travelling to Bethlehem. Sing along to I Saw Three Ships! (on a different site)
I saw three ship come sailing in,
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
I saw three ship come sailing in,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
I saw three ship come sailing in,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
And what was in those ships all three?
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And what was in those ships all three?
on Christmas Day in the morning.
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And what was in those ships all three?
on Christmas Day in the morning.
Our Saviour Christ and His lady,
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
Our Saviour Christ and His lady,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
Our Saviour Christ and His lady,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
And where they sailed those ships all three?
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And where they sailed those ships all three?
on Christmas Day in the morning.
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And where they sailed those ships all three?
on Christmas Day in the morning.
All they sailed in to Bethlehem,
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
All they sailed in to Bethlehem,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
All they sailed in to Bethlehem,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
And all the bells on earth shall ring,
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And all the bells on earth shall ring,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And all the bells on earth shall ring,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
And all the angels in heaven shall sing,
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And all the the angels in heaven shall sing,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And all the the angels in heaven shall sing,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
And all the souls on earth shall sing,
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And all the souls on earth shall sing,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And all the souls on earth shall sing,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
And let us all rejoice again,
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And let us all rejoice again,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And let us all rejoice again,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
Good King Wenceslas
This carol was written in Victorian Britain by John Mason
Neale to a traditional folk tune. It was written in the town of East Grinstead,
in the county of West Sussex, at Sackville College where he was staying at the
time. The story in the carol is about the King (or Duke) of Bohemia (an area in
Central Europe which is now part of the Czech Republic) from over 1000 years
ago, seeing peasants, on Boxing Day, from his castle and taking food and wood to them. The
story in the carol was probably completely made up! In fact the real story of
King Wenceslas (907-935) is rather gory!
Wenceslas' father was the Duke of Bohemia and a Christian
but it's thought that his mother might have been a pagan. His father died when
he was 12 and, as he was not old enough to become Duke until he was 18, his
mother took control of the land as regent. During this time his grandmother,
Ludmilla, took care of Wenceslas and brought him up as a Christian (she
smuggled priests into the house to help teach him). It's thought that His
mother had Ludmilla banished to a distant castle where she was murdered by the
Queen's guards!
Wenceslas was still a Christian after this and learned to
read and write, something which was unusual for even a King/Duke in those days!
He had local Bishops smuggled in at night to teach him the Bible. When he
reached 18, Wenceslas took control of his dukedom. He then defended Bohemia
from a couple of invasions by Dukes of neighbouring regions and legend says
that he banished his mother and her pagan followers from his castle.
Wenceslas put in a good education system and a successful
law and order system, so the parts of the carol story about him being a kind
King are certainly true!
After four years of happiness, when Wenceslas was 22, his
brother Boleslav, became very jealous of Wenceslas and plotted (possibly with
the pagan followers of their mother) to kill Wenceslas. Boleslav invited
Wenceslas to celebrate a saint's day with him, but on the way to the Church,
Wenceslas was attacked and stabbed to death by three of Boleslav's followers!
The (fictitious) story told in the song was written by a
Czech poet Václav Alois Svoboda in 1847. He wrote many 'manuscripts' that tried
to prove that Czech literature was much older and more developed than it really
was. The poem was written in three languages, Czech, German, Latin, and was
called 'Sankt Wenceslaw und Podiwin' (Saint Wenceslas and the Crocheteer). The
Poem found it's way into the UK in the 19th Century where JM Neale put the
translated words to the tune of a 13th century spring carol 'Tempus Adest
Floridum' ('It is time for flowering') that was came from a collection of old
religious songs called 'Piae Cantiones' that was published in 1582 in
Sweden/Finland!
So this Christmas song has got quite a confusing story
behind it!
Sing along to Good King Wenceslas! (on a different site)
ALL:
Good King Wenceslas looked out,
upon the Feast of Stephen,
when the snow lay round about,
deep and crisp and even:
brightly shone the moon that night,
though the frost was cruel,
when a poor man came in site,
gathering winter fuel.
Good King Wenceslas looked out,
upon the Feast of Stephen,
when the snow lay round about,
deep and crisp and even:
brightly shone the moon that night,
though the frost was cruel,
when a poor man came in site,
gathering winter fuel.
KING:
Hither page and stand by me!
I you know it telling:
yonder man who is he,
where and what his dwelling?
Hither page and stand by me!
I you know it telling:
yonder man who is he,
where and what his dwelling?
PAGE:
Sir he lives a good way hence,
underneath the mountain;
right against the forest fence,
by Saint Agnes' fountain:
Sir he lives a good way hence,
underneath the mountain;
right against the forest fence,
by Saint Agnes' fountain:
KING:
Bring me food and bring me wine,
bring me pine logs hither:
you and I will see him dine,
when we take them thither.
Bring me food and bring me wine,
bring me pine logs hither:
you and I will see him dine,
when we take them thither.
ALL:
Page and monarch forth they went,
forth they went together,
through the wild wind's loud lament,
and the bitter weather.
Page and monarch forth they went,
forth they went together,
through the wild wind's loud lament,
and the bitter weather.
PAGE:
Sir the night is darker now,
and the wind grows stronger;
fails my heart - I know not how,
I can go no longer.
Sir the night is darker now,
and the wind grows stronger;
fails my heart - I know not how,
I can go no longer.
KING:
Mark my footsteps well my page,
follow in them boldly:
you shall find the winter's rage,
chills your blood less coldly.
Mark my footsteps well my page,
follow in them boldly:
you shall find the winter's rage,
chills your blood less coldly.
ALL:
In his masters steps he trod,
where the snow lay even,
strong to do the will of God,
in the hope of Heaven:
therefore Christians all be sure,
grace and wealth possessing,
you that now will bless the poor,
shall yourselves find blessing.
In his masters steps he trod,
where the snow lay even,
strong to do the will of God,
in the hope of Heaven:
therefore Christians all be sure,
grace and wealth possessing,
you that now will bless the poor,
shall yourselves find blessing.
Silent Night
The words of Silent Night were written by a Priest called
Fr. Joseph Mohr in Mariapfarr, Austria, in 1816 and the music was added in
1818, by his school teacher friend Franz Xaver Gruber, for the Christmas
service at St. Nicholas church in Oberndorf, Austria.
Fr. Mohr asked Franz Gruber to compose the melody with a
guitar arrangement. It was several years later that Franz Gruber wrote an
arrangement for the organ. Historians who have conducted research in recent
years believe that Fr. Mohr wanted a new carol that he could play on his
guitar.
There is a legend associated with the carol that says,
Fr. Mohr wanted the carol to be sung by the children of the village at the
midnight Christmas Eve service, as a surprise for their parents. But in the middle
of practising, the organ broke and not a note would come from it! So the
children had to learn the carol only accompanied by a guitar. They learnt the
carol so well that they could sing it on its own without accompaniment.
However, there are no records to indicate that a
children's choir was involved or that the organ was broken!
At Midnight Mass in 1818, Fr. Mohr and Franz Gruber sang
each of the six verses with the church choir repeating the last two lines of
each verse. Mohr set down the guitar arrangement on paper around 1820 and that
is the earliest manuscript that still exists. It is displayed in the Carolino
Augusteum Museum in Salzburg. There are a number of manuscripts of various
'Stille Nacht' arrangement that were written by Franz Gruber in later years.
The original words of the song were in German (and it was
called 'Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht') and translated in to English went:
Silent night, holy night,
Bethlehem sleeps, yet what light,
Floats around the heavenly pair;
Songs of angels fills the air.
Strains of heavenly peace.
Bethlehem sleeps, yet what light,
Floats around the heavenly pair;
Songs of angels fills the air.
Strains of heavenly peace.
It's thought that the song might have travelled around
the area with an organ repairman, Karl Mauracher, who could have taken an early
arrangement with him in about 1820. Then two singing families (like the 'Von
Trappes' in The Sound of Music) seem to have discovered the song and performed
it as part of their concerts. In December 1832, the Strasser family performed
it at a concert in Leipzig. It was first performed in the USA in 1839 by the
Rainer family, who sang 'Stille Nacht' at the Alexander Hamilton Monument
outside Trinity Church in New York City. During this time the tune changed to
the one we know and sing today!
It was translated into English in 1863 by John Freeman
Young. The carol was sung during the Christmas Truce in the First World War in
December 1914 as it was a song that soldiers on both sides knew!
By the time that the carol was famous, Fr Mohr had died.
Franz Gruber wrote to music authorities in Berlin saying that he had composed
the tune, but no one believed him and it was thought that Haydn, Mozart or
Beethoven had written it! But then the 1820 manuscript was found and in the top
right corner Fr Mohr had written: 'Melodie von Fr. Xav. Gruber.'.
It's now one of the most, if the the most, recorded songs
in the world! I've got over 40 versions in my collection of Christmas
music! Sing along to Silent Night! (on a different site)
The 12 Days of Christmas
In England, between 1558 and 1829, it was not legal for
Catholics to practice their kind of Christianity in public or private. Being a
Catholic was treated as a bad crime. If you even owned a Catholic Bible, you
could be put in prison! Catholics were stopped from worshipping because King
Henry VIII fell out with the Catholic Church and started his own 'Protestant'
Church (what is now the Church of England). There were many people who were
still Catholics and they worshipped in secret.
'The Twelve Days of Christmas' was written in England at
the beginning of this time. Some people think that it was written to help
children learn about their Catholic religion. In the carol, the days are
supposed to represent special symbols and have hidden meanings, because it was
illegal to have anything in writing that would indicate that you were a
Catholic.
But there's no evidence that this is true and it seems
most likely just to be a folk song and that the meanings were added at a later
date! Also, all the symbols can be used by Protestants and other Christians!
There was another song called 'A New Dial', written in 1625, which gave
religious meanings to the 12 Days of Christmas, but not so people could
practise their faith is secret. If you'd like to know more about this, please
go to the 12 Days of Christmas page on snopes.com
The 12 Days of Christmas refer to the twelve day period
that starts with Christmas day and ends on Epiphany (6th January). The song begins, On the first day of
Christmas my true love gave to me... The 'true love' was meant to represent
God, the true love of the world. The 'me' in the carol is the Christian man or
woman who receives these presents. The meanings given to the 12 Days are:
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The 'partridge in a pear
tree' is Jesus who died on the cross. In ancient times a partridge was often
used as mythological symbol of a divine, sacred king.
|
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The 'two turtle doves' are
the Old and New Testaments of the Bible - another gift from God. Doves also
symbolise peace.
|
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The 'three French hens'
are faith, hope and love - the three gifts of the Holy Spirit. (See 1
Corinthians 13). The French hens can also represent God the Father, His Son
Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
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The 'four calling birds'
are the four Gospels in the New Testament of the Bible.
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The 'five golden rings'
are the first five books of the Bible also called the Pentateuch, the Books
of Moses or the Torah.
|
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The 'six geese a-laying'
are the six days of creation.
|
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The 'seven swans a
swimming' are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. (See 1 Corinthians 12:8-11,
Romans 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4:10-11)
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The 'eight maids a
milking' are the eight beatitudes, Jesus' teachings on happiness. (See
Matthew 5:3-10)
|
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The 'nine ladies dancing'
are nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. (See Galatians 5:22)
|
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The 'ten lords a-leaping'
are the Ten Commandments in the Bible. (See Exodus 20)
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The 'eleven pipers piping'
are the eleven faithful disciples of Jesus.
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The 'twelve drummers
drumming' were the twelve points of the Apostles' Creed.
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How many gifts are there in total in the 12
Days of Christmas?
If you were receive all the presents in the song, you'd
get 364!
Day 1 - receive 1 gift
Day 2 - receives 3 additional gifts, making 4 total gifts
Day 3 - receives 6 additional gifts, making 10 total gifts
Day 4 - receives 10 additional gifts, making 20 total gifts
Day 5 - receives 15 additional gifts, making 35 total gifts
Day 6 - receives 21 additional gifts, making 56 total gifts
Day 7 - receives 28 additional gifts, making 84 total gifts
Day 8 - receives 36 additional gifts, making 120 total gifts
Day 9 - receives 45 additional gifts, making 165 total gifts
Day 10 - receives 55 additional gifts, making 220 total gifts
Day 11 - receives 66 additional gifts, making 286 total gifts
Day 12 - receives 78 additional gifts, making 364 total gifts received.
Day 2 - receives 3 additional gifts, making 4 total gifts
Day 3 - receives 6 additional gifts, making 10 total gifts
Day 4 - receives 10 additional gifts, making 20 total gifts
Day 5 - receives 15 additional gifts, making 35 total gifts
Day 6 - receives 21 additional gifts, making 56 total gifts
Day 7 - receives 28 additional gifts, making 84 total gifts
Day 8 - receives 36 additional gifts, making 120 total gifts
Day 9 - receives 45 additional gifts, making 165 total gifts
Day 10 - receives 55 additional gifts, making 220 total gifts
Day 11 - receives 66 additional gifts, making 286 total gifts
Day 12 - receives 78 additional gifts, making 364 total gifts received.
Sing along to The Twelve Days of Christmas! (on a different site)
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