It's not a Christmas song, really.

[FenderTL5]

"Good King Wenceslaus" is not really a Christmas Song, but a song about Wenceslaus the Martyr, Prince of the Czechs. The song's setting is on the "Feast of Stephen" which is December 27 in the ancient church.
Of course Dec 27 falls within the old twelve days of Christmas, so it's naturally associated with the holidays/feasts.

Today, September 28, is the feast day commemorating Wenceslaus who was assassinated on this day in the year 935.

A contemporary interpretation:

 

[Nithavela]

"Good King Wenceslaus" is not really a Christmas Song, but a song about Wenceslaus the Martyr, Prince of the Czechs. The song's setting is on the "Feast of Stephen" which is December 27 in the ancient church.
Of course Dec 27 falls within the old twelve days of Christmas, so it's naturally associated with the holidays/feasts.

Today, September 28, is the feast day commemorating Wenceslaus who was assassinated on this day in the year 935.

A contemporary interpretation:

Not sure I would call this contemporary. Maybe it was contemporary 30 years ago.

 

[AMM]

Not sure I would call this contemporary. Maybe it was contemporary 30 years ago.

We Orthodox folks are about 1000 years behind the times though - the 20th century is like yesterday!

 

[FenderTL5]

Not sure I would call this contemporary. Maybe it was contemporary 30 years ago.

I figure if it was recorded during my lifetime, it's contemporary to me. ymmv

 

[jayem]

The melody of Hark, the Herald Angels Sing isn't a Christmas song either. It was a Festgesang (festival song) that was part of an 1840 musical tribute to Johannes Gutenberg, commemorating the 400th anniversary of his invention of the printing press with moveable type. The original lyrics are below. The music was composed by Felix Mendelssohn (who btw, was born into a Jewish family.) In the 1850s, the tune was adapted to a Christmas hymn written by Charles Wesley. And it's been a Christmas carol ever since.

Vaterland, in deinen Gauen
brach der goldne Tag einst an.
Deutschland, deine Völker sahn
seinen Schimmer niedertauen.
Gutenberg, der deutsche Mann,
zündete die Fackel an.
Neues, allgewaltges Streben
wogt im Land des Lichtes auf,
seinem raschen Siegeslauf
folgt ein allbeglückend Leben.
Gutenberg, der große Mann,
hat dies hehre Werk getan.

Fatherland, in your districts
the golden day once began.
Germany, your people cry
to lower his shimmer.
Gutenberg, the German man,
lit the torch.
New, all-powerful aspiration
surges in the land of light,
his rapid victory run
follows an omnipresent life.
Gutenberg, the great man,
has done this noble work

The video clip has the score with the original lyrics.

 

[anna ~ grace]

Lovely song!