15 December: Deck the Hall

Here are ten things you might not know about one of those songs you are probably hearing everywhere right now: Deck the Hall:

1. The melody originally belonged to a Welsh winter carol called Nos Galan, which was more about New Year's Eve than Christmas. It dates back to 1794.

2. A Scottish songwriter called Thomas Oliphant wrote some English lyrics in 1862 which were claimed to be direct translations of the Welsh ones. The actual Welsh lyrics, however, were: “The best pleasure on new year's eve, Is house and fire and a pleasant family, A pure heart and blonde ale, A gentle song and the voice of the harp.”

3. The “fa la la” bit probably originated as a Madrigal chorus, a vocal break between verses. Madrigal was a popular musical form in the middle ages. Oliphant was a fan – he was Honorary Secretary of the Madrigal Society, and was known for translating Italian Madrigals into English.

4. There are 12 "Fa la la la la la la la la"s in this song, making a total of 96 "La"s.

5. In 1877, the censors in Pennsylvania got hold of it and doctored it for inclusion in a school song book, because any reference to alcoholic beverages was a no-no and not suitable for children. The line “Fill the meadcup, drain the barrel” was replaced with “Don we now our gay apparel” and “Laughing quaffing all together” with “Sing we joyous all together.”

6. The version we mostly sing today is the one published in an 1866 songbook titled simply The Song Book, in which it appears as Deck the Hall.

7. In 1881, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart used the tune of Deck the Hall to create a piano and violin duet, and Joseph Haydn used it in the song titled New Year's Night.

8. The quaint and archaic phrases associated with the Christmas season, carols and poems, like “’Twas” or “’Tis” probably started with the lyric in Deck the Hall: “’Tis the season”.

9. In 1994, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the eminent rock band recorded a witty “banter” version.

10. This is one song that hasn’t been monetised by greedy capitalists. There is no copyright or royalties and it can be used freely without anyone issuing a hefty bill. Hence it is frequently used in TV shows and films to capture the spirit of the season. A few examples include The Big Bang Theory, The Office and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Character birthday

Red Riding Hood, aka Redmond Vendetta, a New York gangster. He got his code name because he wears a characteristic red hat and due to his innate ability to ride things from animals to motorcycles. He is the third of six Vendetta brothers.