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Mind your language

The curious language of Christmas carols

What is ‘no crib for a bed’ meant to mean? And why were the angels saying ‘Nowell’?

13 December 2014

9:00 AM

13 December 2014

9:00 AM

I could never understand as a little girl why we sang: ‘Away in a manger, no crib for a bed.’ I knew what a manger was, and I knew that people set up cribs at home and in churches with the Child Jesus in the manger and the animals, shepherds and all the trimmings.

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