Snowy fox valley (c) Maarit Kontiainen
The year is about to turn – it is the shortest day. From here on in, the light returns, the days get longer.
But when it’s this dark (for 19 hours a day, where I live), you have a better chance of seeing the stars. And noticing a new one when it appears.
Which is what the fox did, on the very first Christmas, according to one of the Finnish folk poems collected in the Kanteletar. Mia Makaroff created a modern setting of Ketun joululaulu/The Fox’s Carol, for her vocal ensemble Rajaton (which means boundless). You can listen to them singing it here.
It’s fun to sing, and it certainly gets stuck in your head; my choir has been singing it throughout advent and I always seemed to be walking home from rehearsals in the dark to its rhythm. Here’s my translation for you:
The fox in the snow is by Maarit Kontiainen; you can find more of her art on her website.
Wishing you a joyful, blessed Christmas – the journey is only a few days longer, and the light is returning very soon.
Translator, editor, writer, reader
found in translation 
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