Serenading Into the Darkness

Bar Harbor Carols and Cheers at the Green and the Jesup Memorial Library on the Solstice

BAR HARBOR—Meandering through downtown Bar Harbor at night, it’s hard not to notice the contrast of darkness and light. The storefront windows for businesses not shut down for winter shine with lights and holiday decorations. Garlands abound. Restaurants beckon with wreaths and lights and warmth.

On Thursday night, December 21, cars rolled up Mount Desert Street and families hopped out, bundled against the cold. Couples pulled on hats and mittens before holding hands and venturing onto the sidewalks. Some crossed the street and headed into the Jesup Memorial Library’s Solstice Celebration. Others bundled up a bit more than usual and headed to the Village Green, gathering inside the gazebo to sing Christmas carols.

The dichotomy of lights and darkness, voice and stillness, song and quiet, warmth and cold was transfixing. This was Bar Harbor. Community gathering together for different reasons, with different stories, but gathering. Together.

And some of them sang.

Singing into the darkness with others isn’t new and isn’t confined to the holidays.

According to Classical Music,

”The first carol service is believed to have been held at Truro Cathedral, Cornwall, in 1880. It was organised by Edward White Benson, the First Bishop of Truro, who later became the Archbishop of Canterbury.

“A separate tradition of ‘wassailing’ also existed as far back as Anglo-Saxon times. The word ‘wassail’ probably comes from the Old Norse ‘ves heill’ meaning ‘be well and in good health’ and was a toast. But by the Victorian period wassailers were carolling groups who went round the town and would be rewarded with a hot, spiced (often cider-based) drink, known as ‘wassail’.

“Today, carol singers can more usually be found in town squares, shopping centres and visiting hospitals and old people’s homes – and rather than waiting to be rewarded with a cup of wassail, modern carollers are more likely to ask for donations to charity.”

Or as Grunge writes, “ Caroling is all about spreading cheer and joy, celebrating the season, and harkening back to a more innocent time.

The solstice is a time when the sun’s angular distance from the celestial equator is its largest. The winter solstice is the year’s longest night for Mainers. However, the earliest sunset was December 7 and the lates sunrise in January 5.  That’s because nothing is ever simple, not even the Earth’s orbit.

At the library, the Ryan Blotnick and Danny Fisher-Lochhead Duo provided music. There were also snacks and crafts and companionship.

Pew Research reported back in 2017 that about 16 percent of Americans go caroling. It’s an ancient tradition.

According to Arcadia Publishing,

“An early version of caroling dates back to the 13th century. It began in the oral tradition, but didn’t always involve Christmas or even singing. In its earliest days, wassailing involved people going house to house giving out well wishes during the colder months. In some places “wassail” was also commonly used to describe a hot and thick spiced beverage given to travelers during the winter to help keep them warm. If the drink sounds familiar, it’s not a coincidence. This medieval spiced drink is the great-great-great grandfather of a modern classic, eggnog.
 
“Singing remained separate from Christmas until Saint Francis of Assisi began incorporating similar sayings and songs of well wishes in his Christmas services. He encouraged the members of his church to embrace music during the holiday season. Saint Francis’ method was a hit, and soon enough people began taking the songs home to enjoy with their families.
 
“These songs stuck to their oral traditions for several hundred years, being passed down from family to family, until some were finally collected, written down, and published in 1582. This helped to solidify the songs in cultures across the world. Soon, they migrated from the church and became a staple activity in holiday celebrations. While most popular carols have been given a modern spin from their former medieval tune, they continue to bring the warm wishes and comfort of the holiday season.”

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MORE EVENTS (SOME ARE QUITE SOON)

Tonight, Friday, and through the first week of January there are more opportunities to gather, many led by local nonprofits, but some led by restaurants and churches.