The first Noel
the angel did say

A1

With 4 waltz steps 1s 2h turn then open out, M relinquishing W's r.h. from his l.h. but retaining her l.h. in his r.h.

Was to certain poor shepherds
in fields as they lay;

1M lead 1W between 2s and around behind then in front of 2M, 1M finishing facing and joining hs with 2W.

In fields where they lay
akeeping their sheep

A2

1s and 2s circle left 3/4; and 1M then lead 1W, 2M & 2W towards 3s.

On a cold winter's night
that was so deep.

1M lead between 3s behind 3M and then back around set towards place.

Noel, Noel,
Noel, Noel,

B

All joining hs circle left 2/3, finishing one place short of original position.

Born is the King

M solo turn over l.sh. in front of W on left to home place.

of Israel.

All bow to new partner, W having progressed one place acw.

This combination of tune and lyrics first appeared in William Sandys' Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern (London, 1833), but Sandys took it almost verbatim from an 1823 work by Davies Gilbert called Some Ancient Christmas Carols. Davies in turn took it from an 1817 manuscript collection of Cornish carols. The carol may indeed go all the way back to 13thcentury miracle plays ('Noel', the French word for Christmas, coming from the Latin natalis meaning 'pertaining to birth') - but the curious structure of the tune has led some to believe that it is in fact a conflation of a melody of one tune with a harmony of another.

To match the lyric, here is a flowing dance in which you get to play shepherds and sheep. 1M leads three times (each time with different W) then, when all back to original partner, 2M leads three times, then 3M lead. For good male dancers, there is an opportunity towards the end of the sequence to dance like kings, hs in the air (perhaps holding an invisible crown) when the men twirl on to original position and a new partner. If 9 times through the tune and dance is hard to sustain, then you can just do a 3 times through version - either without the M changing partners and each M taking a turn to lead or with the M changing partners but with just the 1M leading each time.

God rest you merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,

A1

Long lines go forward

and back.

Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas day,

A2

With 8 steps circle left below (1s with 2s), finishing pulling corner/neighbour into ballroom hold.

To save us all from Satan's pow'r
When we were gone astray:

B

Swing neighbour, finish W on right of M facing down, sliding out into holding hs.

O tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy,

C

With 4 steps down the hall 4-in-line, then with 4 steps turn as a couple, W under M's r.h.,

O tidings of comfort and joy.

With 4 steps return back up in a line-of-4 then with 4 steps 1s dropping inside hs and wheel back into contrary lines.

In Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol Ebenezer Scrooge hears this carol being sung outside his door and, shunning all that's cheerful, threatens to hit the singer with a ruler if he does not desist immediately. It is indeed a merry number for a tune in a minor key. There are, however, no 'merry gentlemen' in the song. A comma can be very important. The verse does not exhort 'merry Gentlemen' to rest, but rather reassures ('rest merry') the shepherds (verse 5) who are frightened by the sudden appearance of an angel. There are many versions, including parodies. The one here printed is from William Sandys' 1833 Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern, though omitting, as is common, Sandys' second verse (not essential to the story). The lyrics probably go back to those sung by the municipal watchmen in Old England, the waits. The tune to which the carol was originally sung is unknown but today it is nearly always sung to one known as the 'London tune', first printed in 1846 and given its present form in Bramley and Stainer's Christmas Carols, New and Old, 1871. This tune to which the carol is sung today had already seen service carrying many other carols and songs in England and North America, and has been traced back to a ballad on the London earthquake of 1580 - and even earlier to a continental European origin.

The dance is in a common 18thcentury form, a longways duple improper - the staple formation of modern New England contra dancing. If you slide smoothly from the swing into holding hands four-in-line you can enjoy an uplifting sense of fellowship as you march down the hall singing the chorus.

N.B. For an easier version, stay in waist-shoulder hold with your neighour as you march down, wheel 1/2; about as a couple, and return in the same hold, only sliding into holding hands when back in long lines on the side. For a slightly more challenging version at the end instead of just facing across after returning back up have the 1s in the centre be assisted by the 2s on the outside into a mirror hand caste up and the long way around into progressed position in line.

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the Feast of Stephen,

A1

Waves up and down, starting 1s under 5s and into centre, over 3s and out, and continuing with simple solo turning about at ends.

When the snow lay round about,
Deep and crisp and even;

A2

Continue waves till all back in place then 5s and 1s take 4hs at top of set.

Brightly shone the moon that night,
Tho' the frost was cruel,

B

With 8 slip steps, 5s and 1s circle 11/2; to change places and let go of other couples hs, leaving former 1s in the middle.

When a poor man came in sight,
Gath'ring winter fu-u-el.

With 12 slip steps the 4 outside couples grand circle left 11/4; to finish one corner beyond original position.

This carol was written by John Mason Neale (1818-1866). Born in London, Neale studied and became a lecturer at the University in Cambridge. Later he studied for the priesthood but as a result of some radical views was not able to find a job as a priest and took up being a warden in Sackville College in East Grinstead, England. There he wrote many Christian songs, including this famous carol which he set a tune, 'Tempus Adest Floridum', in the then recently discovered 16thcentury Finnish carol book Piae Cantiones. This tune, the title of which translates as 'Spring has unwrapped her flowers' goes back to a 13thCentury spring/Easter carol. The 'Good King Wenceslas' carol was first published in Carols for Christmas Tide, 1853, by John Neale and Thomas Helmore. The narrative may be confused and there may never have been a King Wenceslas, but there was an historic Bohemian Duke Vaclav (925-929), famed for his philanthropy. His father was Christian and mother pagan, and he was brought up by his Christian grandmother. Thought kind, even 'holy', by the people, he was murdered by his jealous pagan brother, Boleslav. Boleslav later repented, became a Christian and had Vaclav's remains enshrined in Prague.

With the good King looking down from his castle wall and with his name being borne by a famous square in Prague, this dance had to be in a quadrille formation. The fifth couple in the middle gives an opportunity for some dancers to look on while others labour up and down in the waves of snow. When it is your turn to enter the waves make sure you are not tempted to add any fancy turns to change side at the ends with your partner as there simply isn't time. 5 times through will get all back to place.

A wassail, a wassail throughout all this town,

A1

Turn out over l.sh., unlooping l.arm, with a l, r, l and point r.heel then turn back in over r.sh., relooping l.arm over with a r, l, r and point l.heel.

Our cup it is white and our ale it is brown.

Turn all the way over l.sh. and finish facing back in, this time r.arm looped over, with a l,r,l  r,l,r  l,r,l point r.heel.

Our Wassail is made of good ale and true,

Some nutmeg and ginger the best we could brew.

A2

Repeat all above until back in starting position, but starting with opposite foot, over opposite shoulder and pointing opposite foot.

Fol the dol, fol the doldy dol, fol the doldy dol, fol the doldy dee,

B

With own l.arm crossed over own r.arm and leaning out take 4 mazurka hobble steps (step onto l.f., bring r.f. up to it and take weight, then hop on r.f.) to turn the basket to left.

Fol dai-rol lol the daddy, Sing too ral aye do!

C

All go in with 2 bourrée steps (6 stomping running steps) and out with 2 bourr1ste steps (6 running steps).

A tune and lyric collected from the singing of Phil Tanner, who died in a workhouse in South Wales in 1947.To help support the overindulging waissailers in this carol, here is a dance which can be performed without ever letting go of the hands of your neighbours in the circle. The same was the case in the dance for 'The Angel Gabriel from Heaven came', but whereas that dance required partners and was gentle and hypnotic, this one does not need a partner and is in a bouncy triple-time. The dance matches the lyric to the extent that the raising of hands to turn this way mimes the carolers raising their mugs to receive, toast or drink, and the basketing left with the 'lopsided' hobble mazurka steps mimes the results of drinking too much.

Hail, Hail,

Hail happy morn thrice happy

__

All forward with 2 slow steps (M l and r, W r and l).

With 6 steps 1s 2h turn each other 1/2; way (finishing facing each other from other side arms wide) while everyone else cast over top shoulder (M's l., W's r.) nearly all the way to back to place.

we/Hail happy morn thrice happy we,

A

As everyone else takes a 7th step (on the final 'we') back into place, 1s begin (on the overlapping 'Hail') to take 4 face-to-face galop steps down then, releasing front hs, swing joined hs (M's r W's l) forward for another 4 galop steps back-to-back to bottom of set.

Who from our bondage are set free.

1M with 7W and 1W with 7M galop back up set but 1s turn in on 5th galop step to face each other and on last 3 steps 1M take hs with 7M over 1W taking hs with 7W.

From Jesse's side doth spring a ray,

B

'Knot-of-4' take 8 slip steps down to bottom of set then release trailing hs so outside dancers can take hs with own side bottom person (7W with 6W, 7M with 6W) and inside people can swing out into line (1W under M's arms then 1M to beside 7M).

And turn our darkesome nights to day.

Lines-of-3 galop back up just past the top of set and collect top person (2M&W) on bottom of line.

Sweet hallelujah let us sing

Sweet hallelujah let us sing

C1

Lines-of-4 galop back down just past bottom of set and collect bottom person (5M&W) on top of line.

To God our Saviour

And our King.

Lines-of-5 galop back up inside just past the top of set and collect top person.

Sweet hallelujah let us sing

Sweet hallelujah let us sing

C2

Lines-of-6 galop down inside just past the bottom of set.

To God our Saviour
And our King.

Lines-of-7 galop back galop back up.

This carol is part of a multiple-part repertoire known as 'West Gallery Music'. After the Restoration, efforts to improve the music of regular church services included the erection of a gallery for singers and musicians at the west end of churches. The choirs and bands which developed soon became central to the social fabric of villages, as described by Thomas Hardy in his Under the Greenwood Tree. Hardy was himself a third generation member of such a choir band and it is from manuscripts formerly belonging to the Hardy family, brought to light by A.D. (Dave) Townsend in The Mellstock Carols (The Serpent Press, Witney, 1989), that this carol comes.

To capture the fugueing of the manuscripts opening bars, number 1 couple must be alert as to when to start their first galop down the centre. So as to not loose time in the middle of the B part between unravelling from the 'Knot-of-4' and returning in 2 facing lines-of-3, outside people should be prepared to promptly release trailing hand and offer it to the same neighbour with whom they had started the sequence, and inside people should be prepared to swing out quickly (first W than M). If necessary, the lines-of-3 can straighten out as they return up the set.

Here we come a-caroling
Among the leaves so green,
Here we come a wand'ring,
So fair to be seen.

A

No 1, following own free l.h., leads others 16 steps off to left, going anywhere on dance floor, including under joined hs of members of other trios.

Love and joy come to you,

B

Step right and kick l.f., step left and kick r.f.

And to your wassail too

Repeat.

And God bless you and send you
a Happy New Year,

C

Lead dancer chain to other end of set by turning 2nd in line by r.h. 11/2; at top of set

And God send you
a Happy New Year.

Lead dancer turns 3rd in line l.h. 11/2; at bottom of set. Finish with a new leader ready to follow their own l.h..

Here is a thoroughly secular traditional English carol, full of Christmas and New Year cheer and with no mention of the birth of Jesus. In medieval times wassailers (from 'waes' well-being and 'hael' greet) would go from door to door singing carols and wishing householders good health. In return they would expect a small gratuity, a penny, a pork pie or a sip from the householders' bowl of spiced ale. In the nineteenth century the term 'wassailer' gave way to the name 'waits', derived from the name of the watchmen who once sounded their horns or played a tune to mark the passing hours of the night, but the custom persisted. Though the text here recorded was first published around 1850, some lines go back at least to the 17th century.

As the song suggests, this is a dance for young and old, children and adults, and no partner is necessary. One way to form the necessary chains is to call on dancers to form random lines of 3 (or a 3 person wide upward-facing column), then ask the middles to about face. However, they form, the lines should be encouraged to begin by go in as many different directions as possible. The wandering around the dance floor in the first part of the dance can involve curling around other lines, even going through arches made by other lines, as long as all are in a clear straight line to start the second part of the dance. The chain in the C part of the dance can be somewhat dizzy and disorienting, but the lead dancer should simply keep focus on getting to the bottom of the set after wishing each of the other dancers well with a r.h. or l.h. turn. A new leader will emerge ready to follow their l.h. and l.sh..

For a fancier version: In the C part of the dance the person who is not being turned, instead of simply remaining still might turn once about with 8 steps. To make this work the turn has to be precisely once about. 3s turn over r.sh. when the others are r.h. turning above, and 2s turn over l.sh. when the others are l.h. turning below.

The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,

A

Not letting go, centre reverses under others' joined arched hs and goes cw round l.h. end while ends turn back-to-back under own hs and then centre turns under own raised r.h. back into place.

Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.

Centre person reverses under joined hs and goes acw around r.h. end while ends turn back-to-back, then turns under l.h. into place.

The rising of the sun,

B

Ends go forward, turn in and raise joined hs over centre.

And the running of the deer,

Ends pull centre forward, lower joined hs behind centre's back, continue to pull centre forward while releasing joined hs and turning over outside sh to face back against the l.o.d..

The playing of the merry organ,

Ends give inside hs to new centre, turn in and join hs behind centres' back to form new lines of 3 facing along the l.o.d..

Sweet singing in the choir.

All promenade forward.

This carol was first found in a broadside published in Birmingham around 1710. 151 years later it was included in a Christmas Carols collection by Joshua Sylvester (thought to be a pseudonym used by William Sandys and William Husk). There have been many theories as to why this carol should feature holly and ivy. Some believe they are there to represent good for in medieval times it was mistletoe which was seen to have evil pagan associations and both holly and ivy were regarded as holy and shunned by witches. Some believe their pairing represents the battle of the sexes, for in many medieval lyrics holly stands for maleness and ivy for femaleness. Others suggest that they feature because they were two common Christmas decorations, being green in winter and easily collected from woodlands. Others suggest the holly features simply because its leaf and berry offer so many possibilities for illustrating the life and death of Christ. Whatever the reason, the carol's imagery clearly goes back a long way. The chorus has very medieval imagery, the expression 'merry organ' being found in Chaucer and the 'rising of the sun' having pre-Christian mid-winter solstice overtones.

This dance is ideal for when there is an imbalance between the number of men and women wanting to dance. The figure in the A part is drawn from a German/Austrian dance called the 'Spinnradl' or 'Spinning Wheel' but is used here to represent a holly bush struggling in a tangle of ivy. The B part echos the lyric. The ends raise their joined hs as if the rising sun, the centre is catapulted forward as if a startled deer, you reach out with your hands as if playing an organ and all advance in closely-knit straight line as if a choir singing.

In the bleak mid-winter

A1

All promenade around set with singles left and right

Frosty wind made moan,

and with a double left.

Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;

A2

With a r.f. sequence M goes cw 3/4; around W while W turns acw under M's raised r.h.11/4; till both facing in.

Snow had fallen, snow on snow

B

Holding hs in circle, all take singles left and right into centre,

Snow on snow,

All retire with l.double.

In the bleak mid-winter,
Long ago.

With a r.f. sequence W goes cw 3/4; around r.side neighbouring M while M turns acw under W's raised r.h. 11/4; finishing M back on inside facing W on outside, changing hs so W's l.h. is in M's r.h. and opening out to face along the l.o.d..

Although Christmas was linked by the 4thcentury church with 25th  December as part of a strategy to Christianise various winter solstice pagan festivals, there is no biblical association of the birth of Jesus with mid-winter. Poetry has, however, been found in the notion that mankind's greatest hope was born in the bleakest hour. This poem appeared, dated 1872, in the posthumous collection of Christina Rossetti, a deeply religious daughter of an Italian emigr1ste academic and English mother (so religious she refused the proposal of marriage from a man she loved deeply and thereafter became prone to melancholy). It was first used as a hymn in the English Hymnal of 1906, where it appeared with a tune composed by Gustav Holst, 'Cranham'. It is this magnificent moving tune which is given here.

Full pavan pattern footwork with final closures seems to not only suit the rhythm of this carol, but also to complement in mood the uplifting solemnity of this almost humanist lyric. At no stage during the dance is there a need to vary from the single-close, single-close, double-close footwork pattern characteristic of a pavan. Be sure to fill out the music fully by concluding each step, be it a single or a double, with a rising onto toes and settling down as you close. A certain balance is achieved in the choreography by having the M go cw around the W in the A2 then the W go cw around the M in the second half of the B part.

I saw three ships come sailing in,

A

In line-of-3, double (or chassée) on left diagonal.

On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day.

Double on right diagonal.

I saw three ships come sailing in,
On Christmas Day in the morning.

B

Repeat above to face another trio and ends can join raised hs to form a circle.

And what was in those ships all three?
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,

A

With 2 double steps circle 6 hs 1/2; way around, finishing with the former middles releasing r.h. to create 2 new trios.

And what was in those ships all three?
On Christmas Day in the morning.

B

New middle (formerly on left) twists line about by guiding person on their right (former middle) under the arch they have already raised with person formerly on the r.end of other line.

This carol first appeared in appeared in William Sandys' 1833 Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern. Its problematic text (you can't sail to Bethlehem) would seem to have its origins in the conflation of two medieval traditions. The first is that of increasingly elaborate stories about how, centuries after their death, the remains of the three wise men who visited the infant Jesus, were taken by boat to Constantinople, then to Milan and finally Cologne. The second is the 14th century German tradition of 'ship carols' in which Jesus' coming is compared in a mystical way to the arrival of a ship (indeed similar imagery has been found in a mid-16th century carol) and the number three was an echo of the Trinity. Less can be said about the tune. A rhythmic similarity has been noted between the text and the song 'There lived a man in Babylon' sung by Sir Toby Belch in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. The modern day tune is based on that Sandys' published in 1833, and the famous folk collector Cecil Sharp noted that it is not only also the tune of several 20 th century secular folk songs but also of an 18th century song 'As I sat on a sunny bank'.

In the A part of this dance dancers can glide forward like three proud ships first on one tack then on another - following the lead of the left most dancer, who is on the look out for another trio to circle up with (remembering that you increase your chances of randomly meeting another trio by not drifting too far to the outskirts of the dance floor). In the B part of the dance a new trios is created out of the former right end person of one trio and former left and middle person of another.

N.B. A simpler non-progressive version of the dance is possible by having the same middle person in each line doing the guiding and arching to twist the line about and the same left end person doing the leading.

It came upon the midnight clear,

A

1M and 2W change places the long way by taking steps round outside of (passing l.sh. with) neighbour (M down W up).

That glorious song of old,

1M and 2W l.sh. gypsy once around in middle of minor set.

From angels bending near the earth

1M and 2W 2h turn cw (back other way) once round then fall back (in same exchanged places) into hs four (a circle) with neighbours.

To touch their harps of gold:

All circle cw once around.

'Peace on the earth, good will to men,

B

1W and 2M go round neigh. (W down, M up) to change places.

From heaven's all-gracious King!'

1W and 2M r.sh. gypsy once around.

The world in solemn stillness lay

2M and 1W 2h turn acw once around back the other way then (in same exchanged places) slip into hs four.

To hear the angels sing.

All circle acw 1/2; way round to original place then pull past up or down by l.sh, 1M & 2W ready to continue into new sequence.

As mentioned in the previous entry, this hymn was penned in America in the late 1840s by the Edmund Hamilton Sears, and in 1850 a fellow American, Richard Storrs Willis, wrote the triple time tune given on the previous page and to which it is still most commonly set in the U.S. The carol soon found its way to Britain  where, in 1871, Arthur Sullivan gave it a new setting - matching it to the traditional tune given above which he called 'Noel'.

This dance well suits this double time version of this carol, individuals drifting like heavenly bodies in closing orbits towards their opposites, touching each other like angels, then falling back into circles like worshipping mortals. The B part of the dance is the mirror image of the A part, with the exception of the final progression up or down the set. To have the dance work well it is helps if dancers can keep their eyes on their corners for virtually the entire sequence Ô form the long orbit around neighbour into exchanged places through to the pulling of all into a circle (the circles always going the same way as the couple were 2h turning Ô that is to the left in the A part and to the right in the B part). Fixing eyes on each other will not only help synchronise the 'covering' of each other, but also help the first corners know when they stop dancing and the 2nds corners know when they start.  It also helps if dancers appreciate that once they have changed places with their opposite, they keep returning to this exchanged position (facing against their original direction) until the final half circle right sets them facing again in original direction. The final pull through by the l.sh. gives the 1M and 2W the momentum and trajectory to start their orbit with their corners in the next minor set. The dance can be done to any 32 bar walking tune and, if not being done in a Christmas context to this tune, might become a contra called 'Heavenly Bodies' (the name by which I first called the sequence).

Joy to the world! The Lord is come
Let earth receive her King!

A

Give r.hs across and with 8 slow steps star nearly once around with opposites, W letting opposite M (1M 2W, 2M 1W) catch them up into high promenade hold.

Let ev'ry heart
prepare him room,

B

With 8 normal steps couples head up or down (1M promenades 2W down set while 2M promenades 1W up) .

And heaven and nature sing!
And heaven and nature sing!

C

Staying on own side switch direction and with 8 normal steps promenade other way back.

And heaven and heaven
and nature sing!

D

L.hs across with original opposites to star with 8 normal steps nearly once around, then turn out to face original direction to give r.h. up or down to new opposite.

This hymn was written by Isaac Watts, born into an Independent (ie Congregational Church family) in 1674. It is said that at the age of 15 he complained to his father that church hymns were boring and meaningless and, challenged by his father to do better, Watts wrote a new hymn every week for the next two years. By the end of his life he had written more than 600 and is remembered today as 'the father of English hymnody'. As with many of Watts' hymns, this one from 1719 is a Christianised version of a Psalm - in this case Psalm 98, 'The Psalms of David'. The verses were not set to music until nearly 100 years later, when, in the 1830s, the American composer and music educator Lowell Mason put them to a tune he ascribed to 'George Frederick Handel'. Watts and Handel had indeed known each other when they lived in London. For the next 100 years people believed the tune to be Handel's, it certainly having echoes of the Messiah choruses, but it is now thought to be Mason's own Handelian-influenced composition. The tune is named after the city of Antioch, Syria, where believers were, according to Acts 11:26, first called 'Christians'.

To match the triumphant feel of the opening line of each of this carol's verses, beginning the dance sequence each time with a very stately, half-pace 8 step star. Just as the carol then swings into a quicker mode for the remainder of each verse, so does the dance. For novice dancers it may be best to do this dance in Sicilian circle formation so that dancers don't have to change roles at end of a contra set and the 'original direction' in which dancers are facing at the beginning of the dance is the same for every sequence.

Masters in this hall
Hear ye news today,

A1

1M chase 2W cw down round 2M, 1W continuing round 1W to M's place, 1M cutting between 2M and 1W to 2W's place.

Brought from over seas
And ever you I pray.

2W chase 1M cw round 2M, 1M continuing round 1W home, 2W cutting between 2M and 1W to original place.

- Repeat verse -(optional)

A2

Taking r.hs across all set right and left then star cw 1/2; way.

Without relinquishing r.hs across, repeat setting and 1/2; star cw to arrive home.

Noel, Noel, Noel
Noel sing we clear!

B1

2M chase 1W cw up round 1M, 1W continues round 2W to 2M's place, 2M cutting between 1M and 2W to 1W's place.

Holpen all the folk on earth
Born the Son of God so dear!

1W chase 2M cw round 1M, 2M continues round 2W home, 1W cutting between 1M and 2W to original place.

Noel, Noel,
Noel sing we loud

B2

Taking r.hs across all set right then left then star 1/2; way.

God to day hath poor folk raised and cast a-down the proud.

Taking r.hs with partner, set right and left then 1/2; r.h. turn so 1M and 2W end up facing  down and 2M and 1W up.

The tune for this carol has a long association with dance. It was originally French and included in Raoul-Augur Feuillet's 1703 Recueil de contredanse along with a longways proper dance, 'La Matelotte', which Feuillet had himself written to go with the tune. In 1710 John Essex published a translation of this work, For the Further Improvement of Dancing, in which the dance is given as 'The Female Saylor'. It is unclear, however, whether the tune entered English folk tradition at that point, or whether it was reintroduced latter - possibly by a certain Edmund Sedding who is said to have obtained it in the mid-19th century from a French organist. Whatever the case, sometime around 1860 William Morris put his carol 'Master in this Hall' to the tune. A hundred years later Pat Shaw had a look at Feuillet's dance as it appeared in John Essex's book and published a version in his 1965 Six Simple Country Dances.

The dance offered here is different from both Feuillet's original dance and Pat Shaw's revision. The longways improper formation was chosen to give all the men an opportunity to act as 'Masters in this Hall' towards each woman they meet, until the tables are turned on them. The dance is simple if dancers remember that all the action is clockwise, that the man always starts the chasing, that whoever is doing the chasing takes the short cut, and that the right hand needs to come up towards each double chase ready for the balance and star (if doing the full 32-bar version). Indeed, although the tune itself is intrinsically and historically 32 bars, if dancing to choristers singing the 24-bar version (with no repeats of the verse), then you can shorten the dance by omitting the balance and star figure in A2. If the chasing in A1 and B1 looks to challenging, then it can be replaced with a simple 16 step chase all the way around to home.

O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,

A

Facing partner up and down contra lines go forward and, except for top couples who face down and take inside hs, back.

O come ye, O come ye to
Bethlehem;

B

Top couples lead down between lines to bottom. As they pass, others lead up and, starting with new tops, every second couple, turns to face down set.

Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;

C

Taking hs in facing lines running across the set, go forward towards opposite and, except for couples on right (viewed from top), back.

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,

D

Couples on right lead between lines to other side. As they pass, others lead along and, starting with the new pair on far right, every second couple, turn about to face across set.

O come, let us adore Him,
Christ, the Lord.

E

Takes hs in minor sets of 2 couples and circle once around, finishing opening out into lines up and down, facing new (temporary) partner across column.

This carol is sung in dozens of languages all around the world. The original Latin text, 'Adeste Fideles', was long thought to be the work of the 13th century mystic Bonaventura, but the discovery of a mid-18th century manuscript suggests it was in fact written by John Francis Wade (1711-86), a convert to Roman Catholicism born in Leeds. Whether Wade composed the tune that accompanied the text or borrowed it from another source is not, however, clear (the tune has some similarity with one in a comic opera produced in Paris in 1744). The English version of the text given here is based on a translation of verses 1 to 3 and 6 made by the choral revivalist Frederick Oakeley (1802-80) in 1841 for the use of his London congregation. William Brook (1848-1917), a London hymn enthusiast, later supplied translations for verses 4 and 5.

This dance will have the faithful marching in every direction with constantly changing partners and neighbours. For all to arrive magically back in place after 6 verses, it is best to have 3 adjacent longways sets each with 6 couples - i.e. 36 dancers in grand square. Other size sets are possible, simply requiring less or more concentration and fewer or more verses for all to arrive back home. If danced in a small 2 column wide 8 couple set, the promenades between the lines can be quite leisurely and you end up with 4 circles. In a large 4 column wide 32 couple set the promenade may need to be a brisk face-to-face 2h galop and you end up with a challenging 8 circles at the end. In any case, whether leading down from the top or across the set from the side, the promenade is always performed with the W on the M's r.h. side - the natural side.

The old year now away is fled,
the new year it is entered;

A1

All in with 2 polka steps (or Scottish travelling steps), and retire out with 2 polka steps.

Then let us all our sins down tread,
and joyfully all appear.

A2

With 4 polka steps, releasing corner, M turns to partner and goes cw around her, wrapping her up on his r.arm as she, r.h. raised, turns over l.sh., then joining front hs in sweetheart hold, they wheel cw as a couple, finishing facing along l.o.d.

Let's merry be this holiday,
and let us run with sport and play,

B1

With 2 polka steps M rolls W out and she, again r.arm raised, turns 1 1/2; over her r.sh. till M's r.h. holds her l.h. behind her back, then M's takes her r.h. in his l.h. (elbow extended) and they wheel cw, finishing again facing along l.o.d.

Hang sorrow, let's cast care away

B2

With 2 polka steps M raises and goes under W's r.arm, releasing her l.h. from his r.h. but retaining her r.h. in his l.h. to finish in exchanged positions facing in.

God send us a merry new year!

With 2 polka steps, balance on joined inside hs towards partner (touching free hs palm-to-palm) then (pushing with outside hs) away opening out into circle.

The lyric offered here is from New Christmas Carols,