Twelve Days (Before) Christmas

Day 1 - Christ est né ce soir (Christ Is Born Tonight)

Musings from Bishop Philippe Christory (Chartres, France): "Tonight is Christmas Eve. When we were children, our parents woke us up around 11pm, still drowsy with sleep, to walk through the snow to go to midnight mass. We still had to wait until Christmas morning to open our packages. The night was short and feverish, waiting to know if our parents had understood our desires and what surprises they had prepared. Tonight, we will celebrate again in the night, even if many families, with small children, will choose a mass in the earlier evening. I remember the beautiful living nativity scenes, with many children in costumes, who were delighted by their role during the vigil preceding the giving of the Eucharist. Like the shepherds amazed by the newborn child, they came amazed to see the holy family played by a young couple whose child had just been born a few weeks before."

Le Christ est né ce soir de la vierge Marie

    Christ was born tonight of the virgin Mary

Sous le ciel étoilé hors de l’hôtellerie.

    Under the starry sky outside the inn.

Et, déjà rédempteur en descendant du ciel,

    And, already a redeemer descending from heaven,

Il a de son berceau fait son premier autel.

    He made his first altar from his cradle.

Ce soir comme un écho du fond de Palestine,

    Tonight like an echo from the depths of Palestine,

De vallon en vallon, de colline en colline,

    From valley to valley, from hill to hill,

Les cloches se sont dit l’angélique Noël,

    The bells said the angelic Christmas,

Aux hommes paix sur terre et gloire au Dieu du ciel!

    To all peace on earth and glory to the God of heaven!

Avec les pastoureaux, loin du monde coupable,

    With the shepherds, far from the guilty world,

Ah ! Venez à genoux au seuil de cette étable.

    Ah! Come on your knees at the threshold of this stable.

Jésus notre Sauveur attend comme autrefois,

    Jesus our Savior awaits as before,

L’hommage de vos cœurs : Il est le Roi des rois!

    The homage of your hearts: He is the King of kings!

Christ est né ce soir - Ensemble Choral de La Roche-Bernard

Christ est né ce soir - Rémi Chapalain, meditation for organ

. . . see also a performance by this work's dedicatee Clara Park . . .

Christ est né ce soir - Clara Park, organ