The Sans Day Carol - Traditional

Let all that are to mirth inclined,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending His beloved Son.
Let all our songs and praises be
Unto His heavenly majesty;
And evermore, among our mirth,
Remember Christ our Savior's birth.

The five and twentieth of December,
Good cause we have to remember;
In Bethlehem, upon that morn,
There was our blessed Savior born.
The night before that happy tide,
The noble Virgin and her guide
Were long time seeking up and down
To find a lodging in the town.

But mark how all things came to pass:
The inns and lodgings taken was
That they could have no place at all,
But in a silly ox's stall.
That night the Virgin brought forth
Her Son, that Savior of the earth;
The angels did this news proclaim,
And shepherds heard them speak the same.

The Sans Day Carol lyrics were collected in the village of St Day in Cornwall and share thematic similarities with The Holly and the Ivy. The song describes the holly bearing a berry as red as any blood and a prickle as sharp as any thorn linking the Nativity to the Passion. It is known for its beautiful and lilting melody that reflects the unique folk heritage of the West Country. By singing The Sans Day Carol lyrics the faithful engage in a symbolic storytelling of the Gospel where the beauty of nature serves as a reminder of the sacrifice and triumph of the Savior born in Bethlehem.