Silent Night.
Yesterday morning while doing play dough with Sophia, she was singing it. Granted, she may not have had all the words correct, but she sure had the gist. Such a simple Christmas carol. Easy enough for a child to learn.
This morning I found myself wondering the history behind the well know carol.
- it was first sung on Christmas Eve 1818
- when the church organ was no longer working, the composer was asked to come up with a song that could be played solely with a guitar
- the composer wrote the lyrics in 1816 & the music in 1818
- the carol has been translated in about 40 languages
But I think the most amazing thing that I discovered about this song was this fact:
The song was sung simultaneously in French, English and German by troops during the Christmas truce of 1914, as it was one of the few carols that soldiers on both sides of the front line knew.
(All facts taken from Wikipedia.com).
Now perhaps you are like me & had not known of the Christmas truce. During World War I, a widespread, unofficial ceasefire took place. Throughout the trenches, the soldiers agreed to take time to exchange Christmas greetings. Soldiers from opposing sides even mingled to exchange greetings. The sounds of “Silent Night†could be heard from the trenches.
How amazing is that? For just those few moments, it truly was “silentâ€.
The birth of our Savior stopped warfare that year, even if it was for just a few minutes.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.â€Â (Isaiah 9:6 NIV).
Here is Mariah Carey to remind you of the beauty of this song:
                                      http://youtu.be/cYl3ms7cNUw
