Joy to the World

It's still Christmas. It's still the Christmas season (December 25th until the Baptism of Our Lord).

John Fahey: Joy to the World.

Canto de Pastorela

A song from one of the "Pastorelas". "Las Pastorelas" or "Los Pastores" as they're sometimes called, are the "Shepherd's Plays" that Mexicans perform during Christmastime. The dialogue and details of the plot vary from place to place, but they all portray the journey of the shepherds to see the Christ Child in Bethlehem. Along the way they receive help and obstacles from angels and devils and face many temptations. The plays are often accompanied with music and song. The song below is from an album by singer Óscar Chávez.

Lyrics:

“A frozen December appears to come,
the rose of April will bear fewer flowers.

How beautiful is the countryside, how beautiful are the flowers;
how beautiful is the song of the nightingales.

Upon the horizon the shadow walks,
we greet the peace from Palestine.

Crystal water, transparent ice;
Blessed is He who comes, the King of Heaven!”

Traditional date of the Epiphany

Today, January 6, is the traditional date for the Feast of the Epiphany. In Spain and Latin America today, not Christmas Day, is the traditional date for exchanging gifts and it is the Three Wise Men who bring the children their gifts.

All about Epiphany from Churchyear.net.

Because it is still the Christmas season(!)
All about Christmas, also from the Churchyear site.

History of the feast:Epiphany,
from the old Catholic Encyclopedia.

Todays's Office of Readings: Office of Readings for the the Feast of the Epiphany , from Universalis.

From today's Liturgy of the Hours,

At Lauds (Morning Prayer), the antiphon for the Canticle of Zechariah:

"Today the Bridegroom claims his bride, the Church, since Christ has washed her sins away in Jordan's waters; the Magi hasten with thir gifts to the royal wedding; and the wedding guests rejoice, for Christ has changed water into wine, alleluia."

At Second Vespers (Evening Prayer II), the antiphon for the Magnificat, or Canticle of Mary:

"Three Mysteries mark this holy day: today the star leads the Magi to the infant Christ; today water is changed into wine for the wedding feast; today Christ wills to be baptized by John in the river Jordan to bring us salvation."

Corde Natus

Lyrics: Corde Natus ( Of the Father's Heart Begotten)

Ave Maria

Riu Riu Chiu

Song of Songs

I (attempt to) follow the 2-year cycle of scriptural passages for the Office of Readings. Unless I missed something the Universalis site (link at the right) only uses the 1-year cycle apparently . I use a different translation for the Liturgy of the Hours but a table of readings for the 2-year cycle can be found at the back of Christian Prayer. One thing that fascinates me is that the readings for much of Christmas in year 2 of the cycle are from the Song of Songs. Todays reading (Sg 1:1-10):

Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth: for thy breasts are better than wine, Smelling sweet of the best ointments. Thy name is as oil poured out: therefore young maidens have loved thee. Draw me: we will run after thee to the odour of thy ointments. The king hath brought me into his storerooms: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, remembering thy breasts more than wine: the righteous love thee. I am black but beautiful, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Cedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Do not consider me that I am brown, because the sun hath altered my colour: the sons of my mother have fought against me, they have made me the keeper in the vineyards: my vineyard I have not kept.

Shew me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou liest in the midday, lest I begin to wander after the flocks of thy companions. If thou know not thyself, O fairest among women, go forth, and follow after the steps of the flocks, and feed thy kids beside the tents of the shepherds. To my company of horsemen, in Pharao's chariots, have I likened thee, O my love. Thy cheeks are beautiful as the turtledove's, thy neck as jewels. We will make thee chains of gold, inlaid with silver.


(technically the table in "Christian Prayer" only lists verses 1 to 8 but the edition I follow prints verses 1 to 10). There's something very beautiful about reading the Song of Songs at Christmastime!

The translation above is from the Douay-Rheims edition of the Bible.

Villancico

Mexican pop singer Yuri sings the villancico "Campana Sobre Campana" (Bell Over Bell) in a video clip from from 80's, I think, taken from the old Mexican t.v. variety show "Siempre En Domingo".



What's a villancico ? Read here.

Christmas began yesterday.

Now I can see why this can be addicting. I can't help but put up a couple of more links because it's about Christmas and how it really does last 12 days. From the Per Christum blog:

Christmas is just getting started!

They've got a link to a nice overview of Christmas at ChurchYear.Net:

All About Christmas

O Magnum Mysterium

Today I start this blog just as a simple page to place some links I come across and find interesting.

To begin with, in celebration of Christmas, Tomás Luis de Victoria's "O Magnum Mysterium":



O magnum mysterium et admirabile sacramentum, ut animalia viderent Dominum natum jacentem in praesepio.
O beata Virgo, cujus viscera meruerunt portare Dominum Jesum Christum. Alleluia!

O great mystery, and wonderful sacrament, that the animals should see the new-born Lord lying in a manger. Blessed is the Virgin whose womb was worthy to bear Christ the Lord. Alleluia

O Gran Misterio, y Maravilloso Sacramento,
Que los animales hayan visto Al Señor recién nacido yacer en un pesebre. Alabada seas, o Virgen, pues tu Vientre mereció llevar a Jesús Cristo, nuestro Señor, ¡Aleluya!

Merry Christmas.