19 Versions of O Holy Night

O Holy Night or Cantique de Noel was a french poem written by a man named Placide Cappeau in 1847. Cappeau used the gospel of Luke, he sought to capture what it would've been like to be at the birth of Christ. The song had been banned from the church in France for almost two decades but legend has it that on Christmas Eve 1871,in the midst of fighting between the armies of Germany and France, during the Franco-Prussian War, a french soldier suddenly jumped out of the muddy trench. Standing boldly with no wepon in his hand he lifted his eyes to the heavens and sang,"Cantique de Noel". The story goes that the fighting stopped for the next 24 hours while the men on both sides observed a temporary peace in honor of Christmas Day. "Truly He taught us to love one another; his law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother and in His name all oppression shall cease." It is hard to imagine a Christmas service without the use of O Holy Night. Christmas is a holiday for the desperate, the needy the lonely and the lost a time of hope."...Christ is the Lord, Oh Priase His name forever, His pow'r and glory evermore proclaim".