Mari Mawu

Resting in Mother Mary’s lap,
the baby son,
born in Bethlehem,
in the name of Prince Jesus

The coming of Christmas,
the angels singing their songs,
freeing every heart from the filth of sin,
filling hearts with divine love

The shepherds were watching their sheep by night,
the angels sang and carried the news that night,
the cattle-shed and heaven joined by a star that night,
the night that beheld the Messiah’s form..

The coming of Christmas,
the angels singing their songs,
freeing every heart from the filth of sin,
filling hearts with divine love

Kings brought myrrh and fragrant resin,
carrying the news of the king of gods born in the cattle cave,
the glory was heard across the world in the angels’ song,
the voice of peace was heard..

Resting in Mother Mary’s lap,
the baby son,
born in Bethlehem,
in the name of Prince Jesus

This is a Sinhala Christmas carol that tells the nativity plainly and warmly. It opens on the central image: the baby son resting in Mother Mary’s lap, born in Bethlehem, in the name of Prince Jesus. The coming of Christmas, it says, is the angels singing, every heart being freed from the filth of sin, and hearts being filled instead with divine love.

From there it walks through the familiar Bethlehem story. The shepherds were out watching their sheep by night when the angels sang and carried the news; a single star joined the humble cattle-shed to heaven; and it was the night that first beheld the form of the Messiah. The carol lingers on that phrase, “that night,” making the ordinary darkness holy.

The last verse brings the kings, the three Magi, carrying myrrh and fragrant resin to the cave where the king of the gods was born. Their arrival spreads the glory across the world in angelic song, and above all, the carol says, the voice of peace was heard. It is a gentle, faithful retelling that ends where Christmas always aims: at peace filling the earth.