Saturday, December 06, 2008

DECEMBER SEVENTH 2nd SUNDAY IN ADVENT

My parents belonged to the Pentecost Church.
Always lots and lots of happy children there.
A couple of hundreds came to the "Christmas tree feasts", proud Moms included..


In 1958 sugar and cars were still rationed. That is there was no free import of luxery goods. The old lady on the platform made hot coaco for the children and coffee for the grown ups. No tables. We used the yellow benches for tables and spilled lots of coaco on our new dresses. The blue flag with the yellow star is for missionary Ingeborg out in Belgian Congo. (Where she still is working as a teacher.) Homemade decorations, paper mostly. At the age of ten I joined the junior musicians. The sniggering girl in the background, playing guitar, that's your mercury headed truly.
Four candles are lit on this homemade candle cloth. Piano, trumpet, accordion, mandolin and 10 guitars. Some sound.
Svend provided a Christmas tree every year. Huge tree up to the ceiling. My uncle Leif played games and kept 200 kids focused and thrilled.
Bet their having a good time in Heaven with him to lead the feasts. (He has also taken all these pics.)
When I had finished gymnasium I had to leave home to get further education. Every year I would get a phone. There's Christmas Tree Feast at Salem, will you come and help out with the preparations and food serving? I would have been so sorry if they had not bothered to ask.
On the second feast;there were one for preschool children, one for elder, I even got time to walk around the tree and sing the old, dear songs.
Here I am 1971 in a lilac hood dress.



O, Christmas you season with childlike delight. O jul med din glede. Gustava Kielland

For Debbie's Daddy:

O, jul med din glede

Tekst og Tone: Gustava Kielland

1. O jul med din glede og barnlige lyst

vi ønsker deg alle velkommen;

vi hilser deg alle med jublende røst

titusende ganger velkommen!

Ref.:

Vi klapper i hendene,

vi synger og vi ler,

så gladelig, så gladelig.

Vi svinger oss i kretsen og neier, og bukker.

2. I Østerlands vise, I tre vise menn,

vi vet jo hvorhen I vil drage;

for vi vil jo også så gjerne derhen

og eder på reisen ledsage.

Ref.

3. Så rekker jeg deg nå med glede min hånd,

kom skynd deg og gi meg den annen,

så knytter vi kjærlighets hellige bånd

og lover å elske hinannen.

Ref.

I found a site translating the song from Norwegian to English line by line.

O `July with your joy

Fra Dikt From Dikt

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Å jul med din glede og barnlige lyst To July with your joy and childlike desire
vi ønsker deg alle velkommen we wish you all welcome
vi hilser deg alle med jublende røst We greet you all with Jublende voice
ti tusene ganger velkommen Tuesday tusene times welcome

Vi klapper i hendene We pat in the hands
vi synger og vi ler We sing and we laugh
så glad er vi, så glad er vi so glad we are so glad we are
vi svinger oss i kretsen og neier We turn us in the circuit and neier
og bukker and bows

I Østerlands vise, I tre stjernemenn In the Baltic's view, the star of three men
vi vet nok hvorhen I skal drage we know enough where I should dragon
for vi ville også så gjerne derhen for we would also like so derhen
og eder på reisen ledsage and photos on the trip escort

Vi klapper i hendene We pat in the hands
vi synger og vi ler We sing and we laugh
så glad er vi, så glad er vi so glad we are so glad we are
vi svinger oss i kretsen og neier We turn us in the circuit and neier
og bukker and bows

Så rekker jeg deg nå med glede min hånd So I prefer you now enjoy with my hand
kom, skynd deg og gi meg den annen come, hurry up and give me the other
Så knytter vi kjærlighets hellige bånd So we associate love sacred ties
og lover å elske hinannen and promise to love hinannen

Vi klapper i hendene We pat in the hands
vi synger og vi ler We sing and we laugh
så glad er vi, så glad er vi so glad we are so glad we are
vi svinger oss i kretsen og neier We turn us in the circuit and neier
og bukker and bows

Gustava Kielland Gustava Kielland

7 comments:

Debbie Petras said...

Oh, thank you for posting this. I found myself singing the words to that song. I haven't heard that in so many years but I remember singing it as a kid. Wasn't there a part in this where you curtsy?

At the Sons of Norway Christmas celebration, everyone would hold hands and sing as we circled the tree. I love it! I think as I'm getting older, I appreciate traditions of my heritage more and more.

I have the feeling we may be close in age judging by your pictures. And my parents were raised in a Pentecostal church. You brought a smile to my face, Felisol. Tusen tak (sp).

Debbie Petras said...

After I left my last comment, I went back to the previous post and read your comment back to me. Thank you. I also want to tell you that my father's sister lives in southern California. She used to take me to San Pedro at times to buy fiskeboller and other Norwegian items. I can usually buy things at IKEA in Arizona.

Did you post those words for my daddy? Ahhh... so kind. My dad and mom went to Norway many times. My dad's family returned to Norway for a few years and he went to grade school in Sumstad, north of Trondheim. That is my maiden name. Our family still owns a farm house there and I went to visit once. Oh, we have much to find out about each other. I have family on my mother's side in Sandefjord and Oslo. I've visited them too. I love Bergen. We took the train across the country and it was so beautiful.

There's a blog post that I did on my Norwegian heritage. I'll have to check what month I did it since it's probably on the list of archives. But I have many pictures of my parents dancing and singing. My mom died almost four years ago and my dad has remarried. I miss her so much.

Anyway, sorry to go on and on. I'm just excited to read your blog.

Felisol said...

Dear Debbie,
this Advent I had removed most stress form my life, and then I set down, intending to write one post for each of the 24 Advent days.
I am a stress inventor.

You are perfectly right, in singing the refrain one should clap ones hands, swing around and make a bow or a curtsy.
Children have loved this song for almost a hundred years.

In every home and every "public" Tree Feast, going around the tree is common. I am sure they still do it in San Pedro.

I like the idea of being about your age when I see the pictures. Actually I am one year away from the Sixty.

Cool that the Swedish IKEA also has arrived in Arizona.
I guess kjottkaker and fiskeboller are for sale there..

I cannot accurate locate your dad's farm. I have been once in Trondheim, and never further north.
You of course know you come from one of the most important historical sites in Norway.
King Olav, later to become Saint Olav, Christened Norway by his defeat in the huge slaughter outside Trondheim in year 1033.
The king fell, but after his death people found him to be holy, and it was then the Norwegians by free will took to Christian belief.
Therefore the dome of Nidaros in Trondheim to this day is coronation church in Norway.

I'll be happy if you send me the link of your Norwegian heritage.

From Felsiol

Amrita said...

Such joyous memories of childhod and growing up.

You look so swish in your purple dress. Wow.

200 children that 's a large church.
We are doing the same in India, prepare home-made snacks and many times put out home made decorations too.

Today is your birthday.Let me wish you God 's best for the new year to come. HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Have a large peice of cake onmy behalf.

Felisol said...

Dear Amrita,
I saw the children in your church too, that's what inspired me to bring forward these sweet childhood memories.
The Sundayschool workers are giving so much and rarely getting appropriate thanks in return.

Even though I do not belong to the smae church as my parents, I have never stopped praising them for taking us to Sundayschool, meetings and feasts.
At times in my childhood I went to church three times a week; Sundayschool, guitar playing rehearsals and a gathering where the girls knitted for missionary Ingeborg in Africa.
We had so much fun, I went for pure selfish reasons.
And I never forgot what was given me of spiritual feed those childhood days.
Thanks for the greetings.
Gunnar and I started the celebration just after midnight with cakes, cream and cloud berries.
From Felisol

Mrs. Mac said...

I like your Christmas memories, photos and songs you have shared. A post a day during advent is one way to relive your childhood, eh. This doesn't seem like stress though ... but sheer pleasure in remembering the merrymaking in celebrating our Lord's birth. A rich heritage you have.

Felisol said...

Dear Mrs. Mac,
You are right. This has been a pleasure.
What better foundation for a life than a stable, loving childhood.
I feel rich writing about it.
Not in money, but in blessings.
From Felisol