Candles Shone in the Field lyrics and meaning
Oi ant lauko žvakełės žibėjo,
o kalėda, o kalėda.
Žvakełės žibėjo, ugnis šokinėjo
Ugnis šokinėjo, vaškas lašėjo
Vaškas lašėjo, ažeras ažėjo
An to ežero lelija žydėjo
Dieveniškės
Meaning
This song with the refrain "o kalėda" can be understood as a Christmas song of cosmic imagery. At the beginning, little candles shine in the field and fire leaps. These images can be interpreted as ritual light and vitality during the winter holidays.
Then wax drips, and from it a lake comes into being. This transformation can be read as an ancient image of world creation, the emergence of a great natural form from a small sacred substance, typical of Christmas ritual songs.
At the end, a lily blooms on that lake. This flower can be interpreted as a sign of beauty and marvel crowning the song's image. That is one possible meaning, but the character of a Christmas song with cosmic imagery is clear.
Symbols
- Shining candles
- The candles burning in the field signify ritual light during the winter holidays.
- Leaping fire
- The lively flame signifies vitality and the spirit of the feast.
- Lake born from wax
- Dripping wax becoming a lake marks an archaic image of world creation.
- Blooming lily
- The flower blooming on the lake signifies beauty and marvel.
History
"Candles Shone in the Field" belongs to calendrical ritual songs with the characteristic Christmas refrain "o kalėda." In this short song a cosmic, archaic image is built as a chain: candles shine in the field, fire leaps, wax drips, from the wax a lake appears, and on the lake a lily blooms. This movement from the small - candles and dripping wax - to the large - a lake - is typical of calendrical hymns in which the repeated "kaleda" refrain frames each line.
The recording place is marked in the song as Dieveniškės, but the exact recording time and collector are not given on the page, so the song is presented through genre features. The motif of world emergence, water arising from sacred matter, and the blooming lily image are associated with an older ritual and mythic layer of winter holiday singing.
Sources
- Lithuanian Folk Songbook, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
- N. Laurinkienė, Reflections of Myth in Lithuanian Calendar Songs, Vilnius 1990
- Catalogue of Lithuanian Folk Songs, 6 vols., Vilnius 1972-1986
- Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia: Lithuanian folk songs
- Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia: calendar songs
- LLTI: Lithuanian Folk Songbook
Common questions
Candles Shone in the Field: what kind of song is this?
It is a calendrical Christmas ritual song with the refrain "o kalėda," building an archaic cosmic image in a chain.
What does the refrain "o kalėda" mean?
It is a characteristic Christmas-song refrain that frames each line and marks the ritual time of the winter holidays.
Why does a lake come from wax?
The dripping wax becoming a lake is an old image of world creation, where a large natural form emerges from a small sacred substance.
What does the lily blooming on the lake mean?
The lily crowns the image as a sign of beauty and marvel, completing the chain of emergence.