Songs on Twelves Night

Boys and girls in Falun, long time ago, carrying the stars, singing the songs of the star.

Picture found via Sveriges Radio.

Goderafton, goderafton, både kvinnor och män,
säg, haver ni sett stjärnan från österland?

Den stjärnan hon lyste över hela vårt land.
Till dess att vi kommo till Betlehem fram.

Vi sökte efter Jesus i kyrkor och hus,
vi tände upp lyktor, vi tände upp ljus.

Förgäves vi sökte, han fanns inte där,
men i krubban vi funno Guds son, Jesus kär.

Trad Grycksbo.

A very similar version of this song was also sung by my relative Yngve Hedén in his childhood in Falun.

Photo from wikipedia. Note, they have the christmas-goat standing to the right.

Twelves Night has been connected with many songs. Songs and a theatrical play with a cast mixed of religious and pagan caracters. Songs are very often about the star of Betlehem and the three wise men. How the star guided them to Betlehem where they worshipped the child, plus some other connected stories. Sometimes it's about how the parents take the child and flee to Egypt, to escape King Herode and his soldiers.

Nykarleby 1954 eller 1955.

Like in oral tradition kept by youth it was different from village to village exactly how the melody was sung and what verses, and what caracters took part in the play. King Herode and the child murders was sometimes part of the repertoire. Probably because of the un-nameable horrors in the story. What was deeply distrurbing and scary was then, like now, the part that draw a lot of attention. It might even function as a way of handling the dark side of the human nature, to get in contact with what is not acceptable. A story to be told so everybody learns and understands the absolute tabo of killing. To deal with things within the frame of a theatrical play is today known as a therapeutical way of understanding life of human beings. Even if it was not outspoken at that time, it was surely understood subconsiously.

Nykarleby singers on visit in Jakobstad.

What I like a lot is all the songs about the star. I've always thought about it as a way of holding up the light. Singing the light in a dark time. Living in the northern part of the world you can imagine how day light fades away between 3 and 4 in the afternoon in early January. This applies to Göteborg. It's even earlier if you live more far north in Sweden.

Carry the light. That's exactely what this tradition was about, put a candle in a home made star on a stick and carry it around.

I Österland där en stjärna uppgick,
ovanligen månde den brinna.
Tre vise män efter Guds allvisa skick,
Gud sände det barnet att finna.
Från Midians land kom de löpare tre
som ville den nyfödde konungen se,
de offrade håvor och ära.

De offrade rökelse, myrra och guld,
det heliga barnet var oss så huld,
Jesum vår frälsare kära.

När konung Herodes fick höra det tal
att en konung var födder till världen,
fick han i sitt hjärta bekymmer och kval,
och trakta därefter att mörda.
Men Josef tog barnet och Marie,
och flydde så in i Egypti land,
ur fattigdom, köld och elände.


Trad. Rogsta, Hälsingland.


In Grycksbo in Dalarna it's a little bit different, instead of star-bearers, kings and soldiers, it's a group of Tomtar, plural for Santa, who form a parade and give gifts of sweets to the children. It started off to raise money for people in need during the second world war if I remember right.

Grycksbo-tomtar.

And finally, a favourite among beautiful folk songs around christmas. This one is like a short poem more than a story leading from A to B. Someone prays to be given the light on our road of life.

Jag går och ser på himlens planeter
de stjärnor som lysa de tre vise män.
Ack om de för mig månde brinna
när vi skola vandra den vägen däran.

Trad. Enviken, Dalarna.

Morninglight in winter time.

Eva