Le Don Balleine Trust is launching a new Jèrriais children’s Christmas book at 5.30 p.m. on Friday 22nd November at the Members’ Room of La Société Jersiaise in La Rue d’la Caûchie (Pier Road). Chu Preunmié Noué is a beautifully illustrated booklet telling the story of the first Christmas, with the English text readable on the fold-out cover alongside the Jèrriais in the same format as the recently-released “Toute La Pêque”. This series of six simple story books featuring Jersey landmarks was released at the end of September. All primary schools will receive a free copy of Chu Preunmié Noué. Both Toute La Pêque and Chu Preunmié Noué are available from the Société Jersiaise bookshop and from Waterstones. Each booklet is priced at £3 – a perfect stocking-filler!
At the same time a set of Jèrriais Christmas Carols recorded by the popular Jèrriais folk/rock band Badlabecques will be released as a free download, available from http://www.jerriais.org.je/noue.html. This is a mixture of Jèrriais adaptations of well-known and popular carols in English, together with versions of traditional French carols and Jèrriais carols using 19th century Jersey hymn tunes.
The full list of titles is as follows:
- Sonne les clioches (Jingle Bells)
- I’ tchait d’la né (Jersey hymn tune by Alfred Pépin)
- Hèque Saint Nicolas! (Jersey hymn tune by Alfred Pépin)
- Mînniet Chrêtchiens (Minuit Chrétiens)
- Nos v’chîn dans la ville d’Dâvi (Nous voici dans la ville)
- Clyînclias! Clyînclias! Clyînclias! (Jersey hymn tune by Philip de Faye, 1840-1884)
- Oh tchi douoche niet (Stille Nacht)
- Prans du housse (Deck the Halls)
- Les douze jours dé Noué (The 12 Days of Christmas)
- Des bèrgers gardaient lus troupieaux (While shepherds watched – traditional English tune)