“Guillannee, La (La Gui-Annee)”
Description
A (new year's) revel song, in which the singers demand pork-chine, or else the daughter of the house. Guillannee is mistletoe. In English this becomes "La Gui-Annee"; the singers declare "We've come to ask for mistletoe on this last day of the old year."
Notes
Botkin offers extensive notes on the Guillannee custom. He quotes Carriere: "The name _Guillannee_ is to be explained as an abbrebiation of _gui de l'annee, gui de la nouvelle annee_, New Year's Mistletoe." - RBW
Recordings
- Bloomsdale Singers, "La Guignolee" (KSGM 11279-A, n.d., prob. 1950s)
- Prairie Durocher [sic] Singers, "La Guignolee" (KSGM 11279-B, n.d., prob. 1950s)
References
- Belden, pp. 515-516, "La Guignolee (La Gaie-Annee)" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Botkin-MRFolklr, p. 584, "La Guillannee" (1 text, 1 tune)
- BI, BMRF584