This week’s tune is Old Christmas Morning from the playing of David “French” Carpenter (7 January 1899–5 March 1965) of Clay Co., WV. Carpenter was the son of Thomas Benton Carpenter (1863-1942) and Mary Perkins (1877-1907), and was descended from Nathaniel Carpenter, who was born in 1667 at Long Island, NY. There is a discrepancy with the date of French’s death. Ancestry and Wikipedia say 22 May 1965, but his grave says 5 March 1965. (source: Ancestry and public documents)
For generations, the Carpenter family was known for their musical ability. French learned most of his music directly from his father, Tom, a fiddling preacher, and Tom had learned from his father, Solly “Devil Sol” Carpenter. Sol is said to have been a very influential fiddler and gained his freedom from a Union prision during the Civil War for his rendition of a tune that is now known as Camp Chase. More on that in a future installment of Old-TIme TOTW when we feature that tune.
Old Christmas refers to January 6, which was the day Christ’s birth was observed as early as the fourth century. It is also known as Nollaig na mBan in Ireland, “Little Christmas,” or “Women’s Christmas” to the Amish; also, (the Feast of) Epiphany, or the “Twelfth Day of Christmas.” Many settlers in America who came from the British Isles continued to observe Old Christmas either due to tradition or perhaps because the shift from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calender that was offically adopted by England and Scotland in 1752 might not have mattered to them.
In Appalachia, Old Christmas was a time of magic. Some beliefs were that animals would pray at midnight, either by making lots of noise or actually beginning to speak when the Holy Spirit descended to the earth; elder bushes would suddenly sprout from the frozen ground, but not grow any higher until the spring; other plants would suddenly flower; water would transform into wine or blood. People would not loan anything to anyone on Old Christmas because they believed it would never be returned if it were borrowed on that day.
Between the start of the season and Jan. 6, communities would gather and celebrate with song, dance, and stories. This is known as “Breaking Up Christmas.” More on that when we feature the tune Breaking Up Christmas for Old-Time TOTW.
Joining me here is Stephen Rapp on banjo (Kent, OH).
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