by Danny Wiser | Dec 25, 2020 | Advent Calendar
IRELAND: Fairytale of New York – Christy Moore… Merry Christmas! For us, there was no doubt in our minds for what would be the king that sits astride the other World Music Christmas anthems in our countdown. Best associated with the original version...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 24, 2020 | Advent Calendar
PUERTO RICO: Feliz Navidad – José Feliciano… This is one of our favourite Christmas songs of all time. If you want to host a Christmas party and wish to get your guests dancing, then your best bet is to head over to your sound system and pop on José...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 23, 2020 | Advent Calendar
CHILE: Doña María Le Ruego – Víctor Jara… This Christmas song by Víctor Jara is, unusually for a communist, very religious in its tone. Yet, there are parallels between his communist ideology and his lapsed Catholicism that can be drawn from the lyrics of...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 22, 2020 | Advent Calendar
AUSTRALIA: White Wine In The Sun – Tim Minchin… Comedian Tim Minchin’s song is the perfect song for atheists, non-Christians and Christians who are able to laugh at the tragic comedy Christmas has become in the Western world. Whilst on this journey of...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 21, 2020 | Advent Calendar
UKRAINE: Shchedryk – Crimean Chamber Choir… This well-known Christmas carol has its origins in the Crimean region of Ukraine, which tells the story of a swallow flying into a house to declare the prophecy of the prosperous year that lies ahead. Whilst not...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 20, 2020 | Advent Calendar
PANAMA: 20 De Diciembre – Rubén Blades… Panamanian salsa superstar Rubén Blades, tackled the difficult subject of the US invasion of his home nation that took place five days before Christmas in 1989. The song, unlike much of his more upbeat work, is a...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 19, 2020 | Advent Calendar
THE NETHERLANDS: Een Heel Gelukkig Kerstfeest – De Toppers… Though this song is full of festive fun, it serves to remind us of Dutch Christmas, and thus poses questions about the way in which Christmas is celebrated in The Netherlands today. Meaning ‘A...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 18, 2020 | Advent Calendar
ISRAEL: סְבִיבוֹן סוֹב סוֹב סוֹב (Sevivon Sov Sov Sov) – Hana Laszlo… This charming Chanukah ditty is a kids’ favourite. It describes the traditional Jewish game of spinning the dreidel (known in Hebrew as a sevivon). The legend goes that in the times when...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 16, 2020 | Advent Calendar
EGYPT: Eporro – George Sadak… Though this Coptic Christmas hymn might not sound so traditional to its Western listeners, the song is in fact a part of the festive celebrations in Egypt, where the majority of Copts live. Collaborating with Chicagoan Celtic...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 16, 2020 | Advent Calendar
JAMAICA: Santa Claus, Do You Ever Come to the Ghetto? – Chronixx… This cover of gospel/reggae artists Carlene Davis and Trinity’s song touches on a theme that many fail to remember during the festivities. Whilst Christmas can often be a time of materialism...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 15, 2020 | Advent Calendar
SPAIN: Campana Sobre Campana – Parchis… This particular Spanish villancico (not quite a carol, but is often ignored as a term in favour of carol) is one of the few remaining popular villancicos remaining across the Iberian Peninsula. On the face of it,...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 14, 2020 | Advent Calendar
NIGERIA: Betelehemu – African Children’s Choir… Based on a Yoruban folk text, Betelehemu is a syncretic hymn about the birthplace of Jesus. Christianity is followed by just under half of the African continent, and as such Christmas remains an...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 13, 2020 | Advent Calendar
INDIA: Shehar Ki Pariyon Ke Peeche – Ayesha Jhulka and Aamir Khan… Not strictly a song about Diwali, this Bollywood hit is featured in the background of Diwali celebrations and has become synonymous with this festival of light. Diwali itself is a Hindu...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 12, 2020 | Advent Calendar
GERMANY: O Tannenbaum – Ernst Anschütz… This carol is perhaps one of the most recognisable across the world. Whilst it is not explicitly about Christmas, it is about a fir tree and its evergreen nature, which is associated with Christmas. Different nations...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 10, 2020 | Advent Calendar
LEBANON: لج تلج فيروز- (Talj Talj) – Fairuz… Whilst much of the Arab world do not have a notable celebration during the festive season due to their Muslim faith, one can often forget the region also is residence to those of other faiths including Bahá’i,...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 10, 2020 | Advent Calendar
ISRAEL: Ma’oz Tzur – Yonina… Husband and wife duo Yoni & Nina Tokayer’s cover of the Chanukah classic Ma’Oz Tzur updates an 800-year-old song that has been popularly sung by Jewish communities around the world since the time of its original writing. The song...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 9, 2020 | Advent Calendar
GREECE: Hronia Polla – Sakis Rouvas… For many around the world, Christmas Day is the day of giving and receiving gifts, however, not so in the Hellenic Republic (AKA Greece, to us simple folk). In fact, exchanging presents takes place on New Years’ Day,...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 8, 2020 | Advent Calendar
CANADA: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Michael Bublé… In some senses, the most traditional offering we could be giving you during our World Music Advent Calendar is this extraordinary rendition of the classic Christmas song Have Yourself a Merry...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 7, 2020 | Advent Calendar
BRAZIL: Tão bom que foi o Natal – Chico Buarque… As the largest Catholic nation in the Americas, it is no surprise that there is a wealth of Christmas songs and traditions. This particular song by famed Brazilian singer-songwriter Chico Buarque is a...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 6, 2020 | Advent Calendar
SOUTH KOREA: Snow Candy – Starship Planet… This collaboration between K-pop artists K.Will, Sistar, and Boyfriend comes from a country that is not a Christian nation. Therefore, this Christmas song is continuing in the tradition pioneered in the West where...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 5, 2020 | Advent Calendar
SWEDEN: Mer Jul – Adolphson & Falk… This delightfully jaunty Christmas tune by the Swedish synth-pop superstars Adolphson-Falk details the excitement felt in anticipation of Christmas by Swedes across the land hoping for the most Christmassy day of...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 4, 2020 | Advent Calendar
ETHIOPIA: The Savior Of The World Is Born Today – Orthodox Tewahedo Church… Christianity is often thought of as being brought over to Africa by imperialist Western powers who colonised nations across the continent. This fallacy is put into check by the...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 3, 2020 | Advent Calendar
NEW ZEALAND: A Pukeko in a Ponga Tree – Kingi Ihaka… In some ways, this song is a perfect encapsulation of New Zealand today, celebrating its Maori culture, whilst also honouring its firmly Western identity. An adaptation of the popular English carol The...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 2, 2020 | Advent Calendar
LATVIA: Circeniša Ziemassvetki – Linda Leen… Armed with a beautiful maternal voice, and sung much like a lullaby, Linda Leen’s cover of Aspazija’s (Elza Pliekšāne’s) poem tells the rather sad story of a hungry boy living in poverty whose mother tries...
by Danny Wiser | Dec 1, 2020 | Advent Calendar
PHILIPPINES: Noche Buena – Joey Albert… Constituting the largest Christian nation in Asia, the Philippines has a wealth of different Christmas carols and anthems both religious and secular. Noche Buena by Joey Albert mixes the two creating a pop song about...
