The Holly and the Ivy

For the 1952 film, see The Holly and the Ivy (film).

Holly and ivy in Wales.

"The Holly and the Ivy" is a traditional British Christmas carol. The song is catalogued as Roud Folk Song Index No. 514.

Words

The following are taken from Sharp's English Folk-Carols (1911) that first established the current words and melody:^[1]

1: The holly and the ivy,; When they are both full grown,; Of all the trees that are in the wood,; The holly bears the crown.; The rising of the sun; And the running of the deer,; The playing of the merry organ,; Sweet singing in the choir.

2: The holly bears a blossom,; As white as the lily flower,; And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,; To be our sweet Saviour.; The rising of the sun, etc.

3: The holly bears a berry,; As red as any blood,; And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ; For to do us sinners good.; The rising of the sun, etc.

4: The holly bears a prickle,; As sharp as any thorn,; And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ; On Christmas Day in the morn.; The rising of the sun, etc.

5: The holly bears a bark,; As bitter as any gall,; And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ; For to redeem us all.; The rising of the sun, etc.

6: The holly and the ivy,; When they are both full grown,; Of all the trees that are in the wood,; The holly bears the crown.; The rising of the sun, etc.

Origin

First verse from an anonymous broadside published by H. Wadsworth, Birmingham, 1814-1818. Note the repetition of "the sun".

The words of the carol occur in three broadsides published in Birmingham in the early nineteenth century.^[2]^[3]^[4]

An early mention of the carol's title occurs in William Hone's 1823 work Ancient Mysteries Described, which includes "The holly and the ivy, now are both well grown" among an alphabetical list of "Christmas Carols, now annually printed" that were in the author's possession.^[5]

The complete words of the carol are found in a book review dating from 1849, in which the reviewer suggested using the text of "The Holly and the Ivy" in place of one of the readings found in the book under discussion.^[6] The anonymous reviewer introduced the lyrics of carol thus:

Instead of passages from Bernard Barton, however, and Mary Howitt, we think we could have gathered more from the seventeenth century poets; and especially might larger use have been made of that touchingly simple class of religious ballads, which under the name of carols, &c., is so rife throughout the rural districts, and the humbler quarters of England's great towns. Many of these are only orally preserved, but with a little trouble a large number might be recovered. We have before us at this time a collection of carols printed in the cheapest form, at Birmingham, uniting for the most part extreme simplicity, with distinct doctrinal teaching, a combination which constitutes the excellence of a popular religious literature. From this little volume we will extract one which might well take the place of the passage from Milton for Christmas Day. It is called the "Holly and the Ivy."

The words of the carol were included in Sylvester's 1861 collection A Garland of Christmas Carols where it is claimed to originate from "an old broadside, printed a century and a half since" [i.e. around 1711]:^[7] Husk's 1864 Songs of the Nativity also includes the carol, stating:^[8]

This carol appears to have nearly escaped the notice of collectors, as it has been reprinted by one alone, who states his copy to have been taken from "an old broadside, printed a century and a half since," i.e. about 1710. It is still retained on the broadsides printed at Birmingham.

Early English Lyrics by Chambers and Sidgwick, published in 1907, repeats Husk's statement.^[9]

Variants

**Textual variants differing from Sharp (1911) (first verse and chorus)**
Variant	Wadsworth (1814-1818)^[2]	Bloomer (1817-1827)^[4]	Wrighton (1812-1830)^[3]	The Theologian (1849) ^[6]	Sylvester (1861) ^[7]	Husk (1864) ^[8]
verse 1 line 2: Now are both well grown	X	X	X	X	X	X
chorus line 1: The rising of the sun, the sun,	X
chorus line 2: ~~And~~ The running of the deer	X	X	X	X	X	X
chorus line 3: The playing of the merry groan			X
chorus line 4: Sweet singing of the choir	X
chorus line 4: The singing in the choir					X	X

Music

Melody of The Holly and the Ivy, as first published in Sharp, English Folk-Carols (1911) ^[1]

The usual melody is that published by Sharp in 1911. It is notable in being confined to the notes of the hexachord.

	The Holly and the Ivy Tune for The Holly and the Ivy The Holly and the Ivy Congregational arrangement
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The early nineteenth-century sources do not provide music for the carol. An 1868 collection of carols coupled the words of "The Holly and The Ivy" to an "old French carol".^[10]

The usual melody for the carol was first published in Cecil Sharp's 1911 collection English Folk-Carols.^[1] Sharp states that he heard the tune sung by "Mrs. Mary Clayton, at Chipping Camden".^[11] Sharp's manuscript transcription of Clayton's singing, dated 13 January 1909, is archived in the Cecil Sharp Manuscript Collection at Clare College, Cambridge and is viewable online.^[12]

Cultural background

Green holly and ivy.

Holly and ivy have been a mainstay of British Christmas decoration for church use since at least the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when they were mentioned regularly in churchwardens’ accounts (Roud 2004). Holly and ivy also figure in the lyrics of the "Sans Day Carol". The music was first published by Cecil Sharp.^[13] Sir Henry Walford Davies wrote a popular choral arrangement that is often performed at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and by choirs around the world.

European Holly^[14] was sacred to druids^[15] who associated it with the winter solstice, and for Romans, holly was considered the plant of Saturn.^[16] European Holly has always traditionally had a strong association with Christmas. Henry VIII wrote a love song Green groweth the holly which alludes to holly and ivy resisting winter blasts and not changing their green hue So I am and ever hath been Unto my lady true.

Hone's 1823 Ancient Mysteries Described, which lists the carol's title as mentioned above, also describes (p 94)^[5] a British Museum manuscript: The same volume contains a song on the Holly and the Ivy which I mention because there is an old Carol on the same subject still printed. The MS begins with,

Holly and ivy in the snow in Elmstead Wood

Nay, my nay, hyt shal not be I wys,

Let holy hafe the maystry, as the maner ys:

Holy stond in the hall, faire to behold,

Ivy stond without the dore, she ys ful sore acold,

Nay, my nay etc

Holy and hys mery men, they dawnseyn and they syng,

Ivy and hur maydyns, they wepen and they wryng.

Nay, my nay etc'

The Holly and the Ivy is also related to an older carol described by Sharp as: "The Contest of the Ivy and the Holly", a contest between the traditional emblems of woman and man respectively.

Holly stands in the hall, fair to behold:

Ivy stands without the door, she is full sore a cold.