Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Traditional Christmas songs

You have your traditions, I have mine—enjoy!




“Dogs Barking Jingle Bells” actually was quite a technological advance in the early 1950s, as this Atlantic Monthly article explains (apologies for the annoying ad you have to wait through).

The following Christmas song also brings me the cheer of the season!




Fröhlich Wiehnachten! (“Merry Christmas” in Low German)

*** Wednesday Update ***
Dad advised me last night that in the Buller household the phrase was “Scheen Wiehnacht!” (scheen means “lovely, fine, beautiful”). This led to a series of Google searches today to learn more about this. Unfortunately, there are no attestations of this phrase, although it is a possible construction, since the words do mean that. Perhaps this is a matter of differing dialects; there is, after all, no single Low German language but rather a variety of dialects that are collected under the broader umbrella term.

That being said, it appears that a more common way to wish someone a Merry Christmas in Low German is to say “Froohe Wiehnacht!” For more Wiehnacht fun, read Jack Thiessen’s rendition of “The Night before Christmas” in Low German (here).

If you have more traditional tastes, you may enjoy “Silent Night” in (High) German.




Until tomorrow’s post about a hanger in my closet, “Froohe Wiehnacht junt aulem, enn uck Goode Nacht!"


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