Impact1217

The Holly and the Ivy
David Allen takes a look at a traditional
carol and shares some thoughts on its
meaning.
If you type The Holly and The Ivy into
YouTube you’ll find several versions
– some which are churchy and some
that swing. Whatever gets you
humming along, if not singing, then
play it and have a listen to the words.
Celtic Christians were great at remodelling
older ‘god beliefs’ into the
Christian way. The origins of this carol
may be Druidical – Holly Oak and Holly
King – or from the Roman Saturnalia
celebrations or Norse Yule or Jewish
holiday of Hanukkah.
With the Christian Christmas goes carols
and these should cover the whole of Jesus’
life. The Holly and The Ivy does struggle to
fit the format, but here goes...
The chorus symbolises ‘purity of life’ –
well, seeing ‘the rising of the sun’ may be
okay at this time of year but in summer?
And how often do we see deer running
about these days? Human purity, I think,
should be more exciting than music from
an ‘organ’ and ‘sweet singing’.
The first verse proper has no direct
Christian content. It is the only time ivy
gets a mention despite being in the title!
Both plants are evergreen so stand out
in winter woods, and both provide shelter
and food for wildlife. Some say the ‘holly’
and ‘crown’ point to Jesus (male), and ‘ivy’
(female) to Jesus’ mother Mary. Does this
push it too far?
In the second verse, white lily flower is a
symbol of purity and Jesus, being without
sin, fits perfectly. Jesus came to save us
from our lack of purity hence to be our
Saviour. Being saved from our impurity
just has to be sweet!
The third verse jumps to Good Friday
and Jesus’ death on a cross – the blood
red of the berry and of Jesus’ own blood
from nails and a spear. Good for us impure
people as the carol says, and Good as in
Good Friday’s name – a perfect match.
The fourth verse tells us holly prickles
are sharp, but comparing it to child birth?
Thanks to my wife I’ve seen a few and
it’s not in the same league. The thought
of God in pain because of our impurity I
find hard to fully fathom. Does this really
apply here? As an alternative, someone
compared the shape of a holly leaf with the
tongues of fire at Pentecost when the Holy
Spirit revitalised the Disciples – a different
and powerful thought.
The fifth verse refers to bark and gall.
Gall was offered to Jesus just before he
died reminding us that being redeemed
cost Jesus his life.
The sixth verse in most versions is a
repeat of the first verse but in my version
there is a change. Verse one has ‘When
they are both full grown’ and in verse six
‘Now both are full well grown’. The ‘When’
changing to ‘Now’ brings a sense of travel.
This version of the carol takes on board
all the key points of Jesus’ life through the
annual life cycle of holly in the imagery
going through its ‘blossom’, ‘berry’, ‘prickle’
and ‘gall’. We don’t follow the black fruit of
the ivy (impurity) but take up the red berry
of the Holly (purity) that comes through
Jesus. So with some imagination we can
make this a true carol.
So knowing I’m definitely not pure, I
come to seek forgiveness and give thanks
and praise for God acting first in sending
Jesus. So join me using holly and ivy to
decorate our homes this Christmas and
through humming or singing this carol we
can glimpse God sending Jesus to us in
our celebrations.
David Allen
St Chad’s Church, Linden Avenue, Woodseats
Church Office: Linden Avenue, Sheffield S8 0GA
Tel: (0114) 274 5086
Page 24
email: office@stchads.org
website: www.stchads.org