Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: new-age
Song Meaning of “The Holly and the Ivy” by Kevin Kern
The Holly and the Ivy is a traditional English carol which has been sung for centuries during the festive Christmas and New Year holidays. The song celebrates the holly and the ivy, two traditional evergreen plants seen throughout England during the wintertime. This carol is full of symbolism and speaks of the joy and peace the season brings.
The song begins with a description of the holly and the ivy, and how they intertwine in a beautiful sight. Both plants represent the strength of nature and of life, even during the coldest of times. In some tales, the holly is said to represent the masculine and the ivy the feminine, with both working together to give us joy and hope.
The second verse speaks of Mary and Jesus, saying they are a “blooming and a beautiful sight.” Mary, of course, is a beloved figure in the Christian religion, and Jesus is, of course, the son of God and the savior of man. Again, this speaks to the hope and joy the season brings-even in the bleakest of times and the coldest of places.
As the song moves on, it talks of Jesus calming the storms with his peace and leading us all through the darkness. This symbolizes the power of faith and of trusting in divine will. It speaks of Jesus’s ability to lead us to safety and show us the way, even when we cannot see it.