Deck the Halls

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la la la la!

'Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la la la la!

Don we now our gay apparel, Fa la la la la la la la!

Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, Fa la la la la la la la!

See the blazing yule before us, Fa la la la la la la la!

Strike the harp and join the chorus, Fa la la la la la la la!

Follow me in merry measure, Fa la la la la la la la!

While I tell of Yuletide treasure, Fa la la la la la la la!

Fast away the old year passes, Fa la la la la la la la!

Hail the new, ye lads and lasses, Fa la la la la la la la!

Sing, we joyous all together! Fa la la la la la la la!

Heedless of the wind and weather, Fa la la la la la la la!

The melody for Deck the Halls comes from the Welsh air Nos Galan which means New Year’s Eve.  It dates back to at least the 1500’s.  The Welsh lyrics for Nos Galan were written by John Jones and told about the coming new year.  

The English lyrics, which were first published in 1862, were written by Thomas Oliphant.   Oliphant was a Scottish songwriter who made his way by writing new lyrics to old melodies.  He interpreted foreign songs into English. He didn’t always directly translate the words but came up with lyrics that fit the mood of the song.  He became a lyricist for the court of Queen Victoria. 

Oliphant’s folk composition in English was about the onset of the Christmas holiday.  It called for the decoration and merriment which accompanies the Christmas celebration.  Oliphant wanted to capture the spirit of the song, including the ‘fa la la” refrain.  This part of the song was probably an addition from the middle ages.  At this time Madrigal choruses were used to fill songs with a kind of vocal break between verses. 

Another version of the lyrics was published in the 1877 edition of the Pennsylvania School Journal.  It uses the singular “Hall’ and changes “Yuletide” to “Christmas’.  The modern version of “Deck the Halls’ is the one published in an 1866 songbook titled ‘The Song Book’.

To deck the halls means to decorate for Christmas.  The word deck is used to mean to adorn with something ornamental.  It comes from the Dutch word decken which means to cover.  The decorations may include centrepieces, or a garland made of branches or boughs of fir, pine, cedar, balsam or greenery from other types of evergreen limbs. 

Holly trees are evergreen trees too. Holly leaves, flowers and berries sprout from rigid, wooden limbs.  When cut, the limbs are called boughs of holly.  The lyrics “Deck the halls with boughs of holly” refer to decorating a home with holly.  

‘Tis the season to be jolly means everyone should be happy at Christmas time. ‘Tis is a form of very old English and comes from ‘it is’. 

I hope you have fun decorating your home for Christmas.  As I put up my tree and open the boxes of decorations to put on my tree, it brings back memories of fun times spent with family and friends.  I hope this Christmas is a happy time for you too.

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