New Year Carol:
‘The name-day now of Christ we keep,
- English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Who for our sins did often weep;
His hands and feet were wounded deep,
And his blesséd side with a spear;
His head they crowned with thorn,
And at him they did laugh and scorn,
Who for our good was born:
God send us a happy New Year!‘
From the ‘Greensleeves’ Waits’ carol in New Christmas Carols, 1642.
This carol shows us that until at least the seventeenth century in Britain, today was celebrated as the ‘name day’ of Christ. The reason is contained in the fact that, possibly until about this time, New Year’s Day was April 1st, so this carol, sung in alehouses, was perhaps designed to get the English population used to the coincidence of the two events, following the change in the calendar. Most holidays were…
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