Deck the Halls Lyrics: Welsh Origins, History & Meaning

Every December, that sprightly melody drifts through shopping malls and living rooms, the “fa la la” refrain so familiar it feels timeless. But the story of “Deck the Halls” is far older than Christmas itself — a 16th-century Welsh New Year’s carol that picked up English lyrics, lost some drinking references, and eventually became one of the holiday season’s most cheerful anthems.

Melody origin: Welsh, 16th-century winter carol ‘Nos Galan’ ·
English lyrics writer: Thomas Oliphant, 1862 ·
Refrain origin: Medieval Welsh part-song tradition

Five key facts anchor the song’s history, from its melody to its English debut.

The pattern: every traceable thread leads to Wales.

Is Deck the Halls a Welsh or Irish song?

Evidence for Welsh origin

• The melody is an old Welsh air first found in a manuscript by Welsh harpist John Parry dating to the 1700s (Wikipedia).
• The original title is “Nos Galan,” Welsh for “New Year’s Eve” (Wikipedia).
• Published in 1794 in a collection of ancient Welsh airs entitled “Musical Relicks of the Welsh Bards” (Wikipedia).

Why some confuse it with Irish

The “fa la la” refrain resembles those in some Irish folk songs, but historical records point exclusively to Welsh origins. The earliest known notation of the tune is Welsh, not Irish (Britannica).

Comparison of Welsh and Irish carol traditions

The implication: claims of Irish origin come from a superficial sound-alike, but the paper trail is unequivocally Welsh.

What is the story behind the song Deck the Halls?

From Welsh New Year’s carol to English Christmas hit

• The melody dates to the 16th century and was sung during New Year’s celebrations in Wales (Wikipedia).
• The English version shifted to Christmas in the late 19th century (Britannica).
• The title was originally “Deck the Hall” until about 1892 (Wikipedia).

The role of Thomas Oliphant

Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant wrote the English lyrics in 1862 for the collection “Welsh Melodies” (Wikipedia). His version included lines like “Troll the ancient Christmas carol” and “Don we now our gay apparel.”

Competitive singing traditions in Wales

In Wales, “Nos Galan” was sung as a part-song in a competitive tradition called “plygain,” where groups would improvise harmonies (BBC News Wales). The “fa la la” refrain allowed singers to join in on a repeated chorus.

Where does the fa la la la come from?

Meaning of ‘fa la la’

• “Fa la la” is a nonsense syllable, not a secret code or religious reference (Advent Calendar Clips).
• It originated from medieval part-singing where voices would harmonize on a simple refrain (Wikipedia).
• The Welsh original “Nos Galan” already contains a “fa la la” refrain.

Medieval part-song roots

Part-songs, or “caneuon plygain,” were popular in Wales from the medieval period. The repetition of a short phrase allowed untrained singers to join in harmony (BBC News Wales).

Use in other Welsh carols

Other Welsh carols like “Oer dan y oerfel” use similar refrains, confirming the pattern (Library of Congress).

The implication: the simplest explanation wins — it’s a singalong tool.

Was Deck the Halls originally a drinking song?

Connection to wassailing traditions

• Wassailing involved singing and drinking, often from a wassail bowl (Reason Magazine).
• The original Welsh context was a festive New Year’s celebration that included alcohol (Britannica).

The line ‘Don we now our gay apparel’

This line from the 1862 lyrics is often misinterpreted as related to drinking, but “gay apparel” simply meant festive clothing, not a reference to inebriation (Wikipedia).

Modern reinterpretation as a sober carol

During the 19th-century temperance movement, some versions of the song had drinking references removed to make it more family-friendly (Reason Magazine). The song now is sung as a non-alcoholic Christmas carol.

The pattern: the drinking context was cultural, not lyrical.

What are the original lyrics of Deck the Halls?

Full original English lyrics (1862 version)

Deck the hall with boughs of holly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Don we now our gay apparel,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Troll the ancient Christmas carol,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Thomas Oliphant, 1862 (Wikipedia)

Differences from modern versions

Modern renditions often omit the second verse (which includes “See the blazing Yule before us”) and replace “gay apparel” with “happy apparel” in some editions (Britannica).

Welsh language version of Nos Galan

The Welsh original “Nos Galan” describes New Year’s festivities, not Christmas. The opening line translates roughly to “Now the joyful time has come” (Advent Calendar Clips).

Welsh vs. Irish: Comparing the Claims

The evidence sits firmly on one side across four key points. The evidence sits firmly on one side across four key points, and you can learn more about the black and white idiom song at black and white idiom song.

The pattern: every traceable thread leads to Wales. The Irish association appears to be a modern confusion based on the generic Celtic sound.

Timeline: From Welsh New Year’s to Christmas Classic

• 16th century: Welsh winter carol ‘Nos Galan’ composed (Wikipedia)
• 1794: Melody printed in ‘Musical Relicks of the Welsh Bards’ (Wikipedia)
• 1862: Thomas Oliphant writes English lyrics, published in ‘Welsh Melodies’ (Wikipedia)
• Late 19th century: Transition from New Year’s to Christmas performance (Britannica)
• 20th century: Becomes standard Christmas carol in English-speaking world (NPR)

What We Know and What We Don’t

Confirmed facts

• Melody is Welsh, not Irish (Wikipedia)
• Fa la la is a traditional nonsense refrain (Advent Calendar Clips)
• English lyrics first published in 1862 (Wikipedia)
• Song originally associated with New Year’s wassailing (Reason Magazine)

What’s unclear

• Whether the wassailing tradition was explicitly alcoholic (Reason Magazine)
• Exact date of first English lyrics composition (Wikipedia)
• When the song fully shifted to Christmas (Britannica)

Voices on the Carol

The melody is Welsh, dating to the 16th century, belonging to Nos Galan.

Wikipedia

How Deck the Halls lost its booze: the temperance movement cleaned up a wassailing song.

Reason Magazine

Don we now our gay apparel, troll the ancient Christmas carol.

Thomas Oliphant, 1862

For modern listeners, the cheerful “fa la la” carries centuries of Welsh tradition, a Scottish lyricist’s touch, and a lost drinking context that the temperance movement erased. The joy felt singing “Deck the Halls” matches that of a Welsh New Year’s party 400 years ago — just without the wassail bowl.

For a deeper look at the carol’s Welsh origins and the meaning behind its famous ‘fa la la’ refrain, readers can explore Deck the Halls lyrics and history.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading: Christmas carols lyrics · History of Christmas songs · Welsh traditions · Fa la la explained