The Huron Carol | Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
All inducted songs
"Lyrics of "The Huron Carol" was originally written in a Huron dialect"
The Huron Carol
  • Year Inducted: 2005
  • Written In: circa 1640
Songwriters
Jean de Brébeuf Lyricist
Jesuit priest and patron saint of Canada Lyricist
Artists
Tom Jackson
Bruce Cockburn
Liona Boyd
The Canadian Brass
the Elmer Iseler Singers

Also known as ‘Twas in the Moon of Winter Time, this song is considered to be the first Canadian carol. Originally taken from the Huron language and set to the melody of a 16th century French carol, it tells the story of the Nativity using symbols and figures readily understood by the Huron Indians – God as the Great Spirit and the Wisemen as Chiefs. Transmitting orally, the carol was passed down by the Hurons until 1649 when the warring Iroquois brutally tortured Father Brébeuf to death and drove the Hurons from their home near Midland, Ontario to Lorette, Quebec. A century later, another Jesuit priest, Father de Villeneuve, committed the song to paper in Huron. An Indian notary, Paul Picard, translated it into French. In 1926, Canadian poet Jesse Edgar Middleton wrote an English version to fit the melody rather than translate it directly. The song was included in the Methodist Hymnal and later in the Hymn Books of the Anglican and United Churches of Canada.

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The Huron Carole - Performed by Tom Jackson
"The Huron Carole" was performed by Métis actor and singer Tom Jackson at the 2005 CSHF Induction Gala.
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