Orana To Christmas Day

Down where the tree ferns grow by the river.

Orana to christmas day. Orana by the way means welcome. There where the waters sparkle and quiver. Orana to christmas day the song references australian imagery primarily through showcasing different australian birds. A red headed grey crane of ne australia noted for its graceful courtship dances.

Orana was popularised as an australian aboriginal word in the carol orana to christmas day released in 1948 though its true origins are obscure. Orana to christmas day. Orana to christmas day friar birds sip the nectar of flowers currawongs chant in the wattle tree bowers. Christmas day the north wind is tossing the leaves the red dust is over the town the sparrows are under the eaves and the grass in the paddock is brown.

Orana to christmas day in one of the popular australianised seasonal songs of the period. Deep in the gullies bell birds are chiming. I don t like to boast but one of my achievements this year was to see a brolga. Currawongs chant in wattle tree bowers.

Down where the tree ferns grow by the river there where the waters sparkle and quiver deep in the gullies bell birds are chiming softly and sweetly their lyric notes rhyming. As we lift up our voices and sing to the christ child the heavenly king. Orana they sing welcome to christmas day. Performed by seth martin grace culbertson and sara lubbers at the dublin open mic night december 19th 2007.

Imagine the soft dawn of a summer sun with all the birds waking up and singing in delight in the cool air before the heat of the day sets in on christmas day. Softly and sweetly their lyric notes rhyming. The lyricist of carol of the birds abc staff writer john wheeler fl. 1940 70 with composer william garnet billy james 1892 1977 likely found the word orana in one of the notorious naming booklets popular at.

James including carol of the birds. Orana to christmas day to me one of the nicest bits of christmas is a chance to sing the australian carols of the old abc s william g. Orana to christmas day. Friar birds sip the nectar of flowers.

Friar birds sip the nectar of flowers currawongs chant in wattle tree bowers in the blue ranges lorikeets calling carols of bush birds rising and falling orana. Linguist david nash suggests that orana s true origin may be a polynesian language noting that kia orāna is a common greeting on rarotonga the largest of the cook islands. Orana to christmas day.