I’d be very sorry to skip this one.
The story behind this 19th century carol is interesting. Wenceslas was a duke not a king, who lived in what is now the Czech Republic, but for long as called Bohemia, back in the early 900s. He accepted martyrdom for his faith and was recognized as a saint soon afterward. He was also promoted to a king, posthumously. And yes, he really was famous for braving a fierce winter storm to personally deliver much-needed alms and provisions to a poor man who needed them.
Today our leaders know better. When they wish to perform acts of charity, they seize one man’s property and give it to another, never, never parting with anything of their own. Take the page’s stuff and make another page deliver it to the poor man–minus, of course, the big chunk of it that sticks to your own fingers.
Fie on them all. Long live the memory of Wenceslas. May his example uproot and replace what we have now.
How was Wenceslas martyred?
He was assassinated in 935 by his brother, Boleslav the Cruel. I think the nickname is a clue to the guy’s character.
Thank you, Mr. Duigon.
Thank you, Lee. This is truly one of those traditional Christmas hymns that touch the soul.
And thanks for the history lesson. The Feast of Stephen, mentioned in the carol, I think, is December 26th. I think St. Stephen is one of the first early Christian martyrs. I don’t think it’s the St. Stephen who was the king of Hungary around 1000 AD who brought Christianity to Hungary.