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| Sunday, 19 December 2004 |
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Carols and their impact on Sri Lanka by W. T. A. Leslie Fernando When Christ was born in a stable at Bethlehem on the first Christmas day, the angels announced the good news to the shepherds watching their flock and sang "Glory to the God on the highest and on earth peace to men of goodwill." This proclamation of herald angels is the central theme of Christmas Carols.
It is said that in the 5th century the monks in Italy had sung Carols in commemoration of the nativity of Christ. By the 13th century Carols had become a well established Christmas tradition in the West. In fact when St. Francis of Assisi introduced the crib, he had got special Carols to be written to be sung by the congregation before it. Now Carol singing is a significant Christmas feature all over the world. The most celebrated Christmas Carol is Silent Night, which had its origin in Austria. It has been translated into so many languages and has become part and parcel of Christmas. 'Hark the Angels Sing' 'Adeste Fidelis' and 'Jingle Bells' are other well-known and popular Christmas Carols. A special feature of Christmas Carols, is whatever the language whether Latin. English or German, they could be appreciated by all though the language may be Greek to some. Origin Although Christmas Carols had their origins in the West, they have been popular in Sri Lanka from the times of the Portuguese. However none of the Christmas Carols during the Portuguese times have come down to us. All the Christmas Carols found today have been composed during the Dutch times and thereafter. The earliest Carols in Sinhala are found in the book 'Mangala Geethaya' (Canticles for Festivals) presented by Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez in 1730. In this book you get a Christmas Carol thus: O keveni ruva aththe ananda "Vive - Veeva" are a Portuguese form of greeting. "Viole" is a Portuguese musical instrument. 'Bolan - Bolanne' is a term found in Sinhala Jana kavi (folk poetry). In Carols of Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez, you get Christmas themes presented in Sinhala folk tradition. They were set to oriental music and sung to the accompaniment of oriental musical instruments. The influence of Vannam too is seen in them. The most popular Carol composed by Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez is Devindu Upanneya Sathuni - Devindu Upanneya Oho. This Carol is still sung during Christmas. In Dutch times, in Sri Lanka too the devotees used to dance at times while signing Christmas Carols. According to Bishop Edmund Pieris some devotees dressed like shepherds had come dancing and singing Carols towards the Crib (Bakthi Prabhodhaya December 1975). British Times During British times, the missionaries from the West introduced Carols set to Western music and dubbed Sinhala words into them. As a result the indigenous Carol traditions set in motion by Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez was superseded. In the meantime during the British times, there came into being various Christmas Carol groups outside churches. Although they used Western tunes for these Carols, they were sung to the accompaniment of oriental musical instruments. They were composed in simple language easy to comprehend and they became popular. In the 1940s when the administration of the Church began to be localised, there was a national renaissance. The pioneer of this movement was the late Bishop Edmund Pieris who wanted to make the Church a thing of the soil. Nevertheless Bishop Edmund Pieris, believed in retaining Western music in our hymns. He too presented Christmas Carols by dubbing Sinhala words to Western melodies. It was Fr. Mercelline Jayakody who gave the lead to introduce Christmas Carol with an indigenous outlook - in recent times. At the beginning Fr. Mercelline Jayakody too presented Sinhala hymns set to Western music. Accordingly he presented his early Carols by dubbing Sinhala words to popular Carols like "Silent Night". In 1934, Fr. Mercelline Jayakody composed the popular hymn "Sapiri Soma - Asiri Sama" set to his own music. The next he composed to his own music was the Christmas Carol 'Raya Tharu Babalanawa'. This Carol captivated the hearts of all and is ever popular. In the 1940s and 1950s Fr. Mercelline Jayakody presented fascinating hymns like Ronata Vadina Bingu Obai, Nelum Pipeela Pethi Visireela", and Suvanda Jale Pipi Kumudiniye with a national flavour. He also composed Christmas Carols in an indigenous setting with a national fervour. His Carol Seenu Handin Lova Pibidenava contain verses like; "Diya seera - kandu peera These Carols reflect the Christmas atmosphere in an indigenous background. In the past after the mid-night Mass at Christmas, the Carol party went round the village in a decorated cart. Children clad in white as angels, in a white background singing Carols to the accompaniment of oriental musical instruments was a fascinating spectacle indeed. Now motor transport is used and Carols are performed in a sophisticated manner. In some Carols you could see even Santa Claus who was a benefactor of the poor dancing to Baila tunes and collecting money. In some places like super-class hotels much noise is made with sophisticated background music drowning the spiritual outlook in Carols. Modern Christmas Carols lack the serenity of the former Carol cart. Carols have now become a nationwide feature in Sri Lanka. In non-Christian festivals like Vesak and Poson too Carols are performed all over the country. Carols are a Christmas tradition that has now become a part of our national heritage. (The writer is a former High Court Judge) |
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The word "Carols" was originally meant for a dance song. In
Europe at the beginning people used to dance while singing carols round
the Christmas tree. This tradition is still continued in Sweden.
