The Huron Carol, was written by St. Jean de Brebeuf (1593 ? 1649) in Quebec, while the Father recuperated from a broken clavicle. He wrote the words to the music of a sixteenth century Carol called "Une Jeune Pucelle" (A Young Maid). Fortunately one of the last Jesuit Missionaries to the Huron, Fr. de Villeneuve, wrote out the old Huron words to the carol and later translated it into simple French. In the original Huron, the first verse is

Estennialon de tsonwe
Jesous ahatonhia
Onnawatewa d' oki
n' onwandaskwaentak
Ennonchien skwatrihotat
n' onwandilonrachatha

Jesous ahatonhia, Jesous ahatonhia.


The missionaries to Canada had a problem bringing Christianity to the Hurons, as missionaries often have: their culture was not European/Middle Eastern. The Huron culture did not greatly value gold, frankincense and myrrh. To overcome these kinds of differences, the missionaries ignored the gifts listed in the Gospel and substituted things that would be recognised as valuable.

In the case of the Huron Indians, the wise men bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh become chiefs from far ? bring gifts of fox and beaver pelt, far more relevant to the Hurons, in the subzero Canadian winter. In the same way, the missionaries used ?Gitchi Manitou? - the Huron name for the ?Great Spirit? who created the world ? as the name of God the Father.

It is worth noting that the Victorians also adopted symbols to suit the current culture. Matthew simply states ?some wise men came?. There is no mention that there were ?three?, nor are they identified as ?kings?. Melchior, Balthazar and Gaspar had long been given as the Kings? names in Germany (from the writings of John Of Hildesheim, around 1370), but these were uncommon in England until Prince Albert arrived.