Rook and Holly Soalin Song Christmas T-Shirt or Top

 

Rook and Holly Soalin Song Christmas T-Shirt or Top

Fresh and festive with an understated elegance, this Christmas tee shirt or top conveys a sophisticated simplicity and includes the words from the chorus of the ancient Soalin' Song. The design is limited to the center part of the shirt, so it looks great even under a jacket or cardigan.

Description: Three blackbirds perch on the bare branches of a tree adorned with mistletoe. The text reads "One for Peter, Two for Paul, Three for Him Who made us all." Colors include black, gray, red and a subtle muted green.

History of The Soalin' Song: The custom of soaling during the Yuletide is believed to date back to perhaps as early as the tenth century Anglo-Saxon England, when the less fortunate would go a-soaling, entreating the more fortunate townsfolk for a comfit from larder or purse, singing as they went.. It is unclear whether "wassailing" derives from "a-soaling" or the other way round, but both terms describe the same activity.

The song itself was already very old by Elizabethan times when the first known written version was recorded. By the 19th century, the song was being sung by begging children on All Soul's Day (perhaps a confusion of "soul" and the lost meaning of "soal") in some counties, notably Cheshire and Shropshire, as recorded by folklorists of the day.

Folk groups revived the song in the 1960s in its original version as Christmas wassailing song, and popular recording artists have recently performed it at Christmas concerts and included it in Christmas albums. It's one of my personal favorites.

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