A Rose Bloomed on Christmas Morning lyrics and meaning
Kalėdų rytų
Rožė pražydo,
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda.
Sekminių rytų
Dyvai pasidarė,
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda.
Dyvai pasidarė:
Ažerai užšalo,
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda.
Jaunas bernelis
Ladelį kirto,
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda.
Ladelį kirto,
Žirgelį girdė,
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda.
Žirgelį girdė,
Mergelį virkdė,
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda.
Atlėkė elnias
Devyniaragis,
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda.
An pirmo rago
Ugnelė degė,
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda.
An antro rago
Kavoliai kalė,
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda.
Jūs, kavolėliai,
Mani brolaliai,
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda.
Oi jūs nukalkit
Aukselio žiedą,
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda.
Aukselio žiedą,
Sidabro žirklas,
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda.
Aš nukarpysiu
Aglių šakelas,
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda.
Aglių šakelas,
Pušų viršūnes,
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda.
Gal pamatysiu
Tėvulio dvarų,
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda.
Po tėvulio dvarų,
Bobos vaikštinėja
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda.
Bobos vaikštinėja,
Mergos varinėjo,
Lėlium kalėda, kalėda
Meaning
This song with the refrain "Lėlium kalėda" can be understood as a mythological song of the Christmas season. At the beginning, a rose blooms on Christmas morning, while on Pentecost morning wonders occur: lakes freeze. These images can be interpreted as a miraculous reversal of the world's order, characteristic of solstice songs.
Then the nine-antlered stag flies in, with fire burning and smiths hammering on its antlers. This image can be understood as an ancient cosmic figure, where a miraculous animal carries fire and smithcraft. The smiths, called brothers, are asked to forge a gold ring and silver shears.
With those shears the singer promises to cut fir branches and pine tops in order to see the father's manor. These images can be read as longing for home and signs of wedding preparation. That is one possible meaning, but the song's mythological Christmas worldview is clear.
Symbols
- Rose on Christmas morning
- A rose blooming at Christmas. It marks miracle and the transformation of natural order.
- Wonders and frozen lakes
- Miracles in which lakes freeze at an unexpected time. They mark an old solstice worldview.
- Nine-antlered stag
- A miraculous stag with nine antlers. It is a cosmic mythic animal carrying fire and smithcraft.
- Fire and smiths on the antlers
- Fire burning and smiths hammering on the stag's antlers. They mark creative, cosmic smithcraft.
- Gold ring and silver shears
- Objects forged by the smiths. They mark signs of marriage and longing for home.
History
The nine-antlered stag is one of the oldest images in Lithuanian calendar songs, especially Christmas songs. Researchers connect it with the old Baltic worldview, in which a miraculous animal carrying fire on its antlers marks the return of the sun and light at the winter solstice. Songs of this kind, accompanied by the refrain "Lėlium kalėda," were sung during Advent and Christmas.
The exact recording place and date are not given on this page, so the song is presented through its genre features. Images of an inverted world order - a rose blooming on Christmas morning, lakes freezing on Pentecost morning - and smiths hammering on the stag's antlers are treated as a mythic, ritual layer of calendar song. The gold ring and silver shears also connect the song with images of wedding preparation.
Sources
- Lietuvių liaudies dainynas (LLTI): general context; volume and item for this version not supplied
- N. Laurinkienė. Mito atšvaitai Lietuvių kalendorinėse dainose, Vilnius 1990 (general background; specific passage not supplied)
- Lietuvių liaudies dainų katalogas, 6 vols., Vilnius 1972-1986 (general background; specific passage not supplied)
- Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia: Lithuanian folk songs
- Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia: calendar songs
- LLTI: Lietuvių liaudies dainynas (serijos apžvalga; šio varianto numeris nenurodytas)
Common questions
A Rose Bloomed on Christmas Morning: what kind of song is this?
It is a mythological Christmas calendar song with the refrain "Lėlium kalėda," sung during Advent and Christmas.
Who is the nine-antlered stag?
It is a miraculous animal with nine antlers, one of the oldest images in Christmas songs. Fire burns and smiths hammer on its antlers; it is linked with the sun's return at the winter solstice.
What does it mean that a rose blooms on Christmas morning and lakes freeze?
These are images of an inverted, miraculous world order, or dyvai, characteristic of the old solstice worldview.
What do the gold ring and silver shears signify?
They are objects forged by the smiths and are connected in the song with signs of wedding preparation and longing for home.