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"The Holly Bears a Berry", also known as "The Sans Day Carol" or "The St. Day Carol"
is a varient of the family of "A Virgin Unspotted" tunes.
This carol was so named because it was first transcribed from the singing of Thomas Beard
in the 19th century in St. Day (also Sans Day, or St. They - named after a Breton
saint venerated in Cornwall) in the parish of Gwennap, Cornwall.
It is included in the Roud Folk Song Index as #514. A.L. Lloyd commented in the original album's sleeve notes: Another spring carol, proper to the period between Passiontide and Easter. In it the evergreen holly is celebrated along with the dying and resurrected god. In tradition this carol lasted longest in Cornwall. It shares some verses with the better known "Holly and the Ivy".It was recorded by The Watersons, Sandy Denny, Maddy Prior, The Chieftains, John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers and others. |