The Fourth Day of Christmas: Lully, Lullay

Lovely and Harrowing

I fell in love with the explicitly Christian celebration of Christmas in large part because of the music. Today especially is about the music. The Coventry Carol is on constant repeat in my head. It is a carol about the Feast of The Holy Innocents.

For those who do not know, this is the day of Christmastide when we remember the slaughtering of the children of Bethlehem. Herod, the king in our story, fears for the birth of the messiah. So, in his fear and power mongering, he orders the deaths of countless innocents. No more shall lullabies be sung in Bethlehem. It’s a nightmare. The Holy Family will flee to Egypt to escape.

The parallels to our own time are devastating. We cannot look at the genocides in our own time without decrying the murderous tyranny that perpetrates them. Hamas, Netanyahu, and many others are guilty of such action.

Here are the lyrics.

Lully, lullay, thou little tiny child,
Bye bye, lully, lullay.
Lully, lullay, thou little tiny child,
Bye bye, lully, lullay.

O sisters too, how may we do
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling for whom we sing,
"Bye bye, lully, lullay"?

Herod the king, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day
His men of might in his own sight
All young children to slay.

That woe is me, poor child, for thee
And ever mourn and may
For thy parting neither say nor sing,
"Bye bye, lully, lullay."

It’s haunting and sad as one would expect.

We include this feast day within Christmastide as a reminder that faithful action often brings out the worst in the powers-that-be. There is nothing more terrifying to the Herods of the world than the presence of the Kingdom of God. Mary’s vision of the mighty being cast down is an existential threat to their power. Jesus’ ministry will be no different. The powers will eventually catch up to him and crucify him.

From the Book of Common Prayer:

“We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the holy innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod. Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims; and by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

Don’t shy away from the challenge of this feast. Look toward it, live through it, sing the songs of lament and sorrow. Do not shield yourself with sentimentality and sugar cookies. The story of Christmas is both lovely and harrowing.

Much love to you all this day. Be excellent to each other.

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