I wish I had a good video to post, so that you could hear the music. However, here are two Australian Christmas carols that I like the most at Christmas:
This is one of the first Australian Christmas carols ever written.
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,
As we lift up our voices and sing
To the Christ-Child the heavenly King.
The tree ferns in green gullies sway,
The cool stream flows silently by,
The joy bells are greeting the day,
And the chimes are adrift in the sky,
As we lift up our voices and sing
To the Christ-Child the heavenly King.
Both of these carols were written by William James who was born in Ballarat in 1892.
THE CAROL OF THE BIRDS
`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~
Out on the plains the brolgas are dancing
Lifting their feet like war horses prancing
Up to the sun the woodlarks go winging
Faint in the dawn light echoes their singing
Orana! Orana! Orana to Christmas Day
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
Orana! Orana! Orana to Christmas Day
Friar birds sip the nectar of flowers
Currawongs chant in the wattle tree bowers
In the blue ranges lorikeets calling
Carols of bushbirds rising and falling
Orana! Orana! Orana to Christmas Day
Written by William James and John Wheeler.
"Orana" means "Welcome" - and, of course, Christmas is in the middle of Summer - usually 30 to 40 degrees Celsius.
Brolgas are very large birds with very long legs - sort of like Ibis or Crane (only bigger).