Sura Duthayo Gayavi Lyrics by Nalin Perera

The angels sang,
hymns of victory were heard,
my Jesus, this,
this is your birthday, today,
your birthday is today . .

God’s blessings are raining down, my friend,
keeping joy and love within my very heart //

You brought love,
the story of peace,
write it upon the heart,
by its blessing . .
my whole life through,
it is so very beautiful,
because you have stayed
right here beside me . . .

Shivering in the cold,
the glory of Christmas
was kindled across
the whole world . .
to bear the pain,
the mountain of sorrow,
Lord, where
did you hide it away? . .

The angels sang,
hymns of victory were heard,
my Jesus, this,
this is your birthday, today,
your birthday is today . .

A warm, joyful Sinhala Christmas carol, an original by the Marians, that celebrates the birth of Jesus. Its refrain rings out the good news: the angels sang, hymns of victory were heard, and, addressed tenderly to my Jesus, today is your birthday. The whole song is sung as a personal greeting to the newborn Christ.

The middle turns to what that birth means to the singer. God’s blessings are raining down, and he keeps joy and love within his heart; Jesus brought love and the story of peace, which he asks to have written on the heart. His whole life, he says, is beautiful for one reason, because you have stayed right here beside me.

The close holds both the season’s glory and its deeper comfort. Shivering in the cold, the glory of Christmas was kindled across the whole world; and then a gentle, trusting question, to bear the pain and the mountain of sorrow, Lord, where did you hide it away?, as if Christ has quietly taken the world’s grief out of sight. Sung by Nalin Perera, written by Sampath Fernandopulle, it is a heartfelt carol of joy, peace and gratitude for the birth of Jesus.