"Dejlig er jorden" (Danish: Dejlig er jorden/Pilgrimssang, Swedish: Härlig är jorden, Norwegian: Deilig er jorden, Finnish: Maa on niin kaunis, Faroese: Føgur er foldin, transl. The earth is (so) beautiful) is a Nordic religious hymn. The hymn is usually sung during Christmas.[1]
| Dejlig er jorden | |
|---|---|
 Tune and first stanza of the Danish hymn 'Dejlig er jorden'. | |
| English | The earth is (so) beautiful |
| Other name | Pilgrimssang |
| Year | 1850 |
| Occasion | Christmas |
| Language | Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Faroese, Finnish, Kven and Saami |
| Melody | Schlesische Volkslieder mit ihren Melodien |
| Duration | 2 minutes |
Origins
editThe hymn has origins from Silesia and Germany, and the melody used for the hymn has its origins in Silesian folk music.[1] It was published by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben under the collection "Schlesische Volkslieder mit ihren Melodien" in 1842, and the hymn is thought to have origins from pilgrims on their travel to Jerusalem.[2]
The melody was used by Danish hymn-writer Bernhard Severin Ingemann in 1850, following the request of his friend, Ferdinand Fenger to write words to the melody.[1] The hymn was originally named Pilgrimssang (transl. Pilgrim's song), by Ingermann. However the opening verse stuck around as the colloquial name of the hymn.[3]
Usage
editThe hymn is a famous Christmas hymn in the Nordic countries.[4] The hymn is available in most native languages of the Nordic countries, including Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish and Faroese, Icelandic, Kven, Northern Sami and Southern Sami.[5] The hymn is traditionally sung during Christmas Eve, however is sometimes sung at funerals in Denmark. In Sweden the hymn is primarily used in funeral, usually as the closing song.[6]
Text
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c admin (2017-01-27). "Virsi 30 - Maa on niin kaunis". Virsikirja.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-11-11.
- ^ Jørgensen, Poul Kristian. "Den mest populære julesalme". Kristeligt Dagblad (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-11-11.
- ^ "Den Danske Salmebog Online - Salme 121". www.dendanskesalmebogonline.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-11-11.
- ^ Evertsson, Anna J. (2002). "Gå vi till paradis med sång": psalmers funktion i begravningsgudstjänster. Bibliotheca theologiae practicae. Lund: Arcus. ISBN 978-91-88553-11-9.
- ^ Norsk salmebok 2013 for kirke og hjem = Norsk salmebok 2013 : for kyrkje og heim. ISBN 9788251407649.
- ^ "Dejlig er jorden". Archived from the original on 2018-07-29. Retrieved 2024-01-01.