To hear 30-second samples on your Windows Media Player, just click on SAMPLE.
1. Christ is Born, Magnificant Mode 5 2:29 (SAMPLE)
2. O Wonderful Mystery, This Day the Paternal Voice 4:12 (SAMPLE)
3. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem 2:08 (SAMPLE)
4. Holy God, Again in Peace Let Us Beseech the Lord 3:27 (SAMPLE)
5. Greet One Another, Christ Among Us 2:19
6. Sanctus 2:39
7. In All Things Blessed Art Thou 1:03
8. The Lord's Prayer 1:58
9. Amen, Blessed Be The Lord's Name 1:11
10. Christ is Born, This Day is the Feast of the Nativ 5:45
11. Glory to God in the Highest, The Sun of Riteousnes 10:21
12. Christ is Born, This day is the Feast of the Nativ 1:10
13. Who is like Unto the Lord Our God 3:46
14. We Give Thanks To Thee, O Lord
Christmas
Christmas is the annual feast commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, over 2000 years ago. For Christians, it is not just a single day (December 25), but an extended liturgical season of joy and celebration, involving many different symbols and traditions, special music and activities, which vary significantly among different countries and cultures. For religiously observant Christians, the Christmas Season begins at sunset on Christmas Eve, December 24, and lasts from 12 days to 40 days. In some ecclesial traditions the Christmas Season might end on January 6 (the traditional date of the Feast of the Epiphany); in others it might last until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (usually the Sunday after Epiphany), or might even last all the way to February 2 (the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 40 days after December 25). January 6, usually celebrated as Epiphany, carries different significance in various church traditions. Due to different calendars in use in various eras and locations of the church, some cultures and church traditions celebrate Christmas on January 6 (in the older Julian calendar still used as the religious calendar in Eastern Churches, January 6 corresponds to December 24 on the modern Gregorian calendar).
Although we cannot know the exact date of Jesus' birth, it has been celebrated on December 25 since the early fourth century, when most of the Roman Empire adopted the Christian religion. It replaced the mid-winter Roman festival of "the birth of the sun god" ( sol invictus), celebrated just after the winter solstice.
Etymologically, the word "Christmas" derives from Old English " Cristes mæsse" (literally "Christ's festival"). It is similar to Dutch Kerstmis, but is significantly different in derivation and meaning in many other European languages: German Weihnachten ("Blessed Night"), Italian Natale, Spanish Navidad, French Noël (all ultimately derived from Latin natalis, "birth"), and Scandinavian jul (from which is derived the English yule).
The official liturgical color of the Christmas Season for most Churches is white or gold, not green and red, as many people assume because of their prevalence in secular celebrations.
Chants from the Holy Land
Chants from the Holy Land is a collection of 40 CDs featuring special masses, litanies, community prayers and hymns performed live by monks and nuns from churches and monasteries throughout the Holy Land. This sacred music spans a broad range of the religious communities of the East and the West, and is sung in the original languages: Aramaic, Armenian, Latin, Greek, Rumanian, Slavonic, Georgian, Slovakian, German, French, Italian, and Arabic.
This project seeks to document, with state-of-the-art technology and historical accuracy, the sacred musical forms as they have been sung by seasoned choirs for centuries, in the very places where Jesus and the early Christians walked.
Hear the bells ringing, smell the incense burning and feel the calm and tranquility of these most holy places through these sacred chants. From the little town of Bethlehem to the Mount of Olives; from Mount Sinai to the shores of Galilee, these CDs allow you to experience a musical pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
No other music will touch you more deeply than these simple Gregorian, Byzantine, Oriental and Medieval chants with their quiet and relaxing atmosphere ideal for meditation. They will lift your soul and soothe your body, mind and spirit.
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