"The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy"

On Christmas Eve, my husband and I will be singing the duet of the very old Carol, The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy. Someone asked me who wrote it. Since I did not know, I looked it up. It is a West Indian Carol that probably originated in Trinidad. For centuries the weeks between October 1st and January 6th in Trinidad were filled with music as "parranderas and parranderos" went from house to house singing and using Rhythm instruments to celebrate the birth and Life of Christ. I can just hear the Trinidads singing this carol in streets! I'm sure it was quite joyous and fun. The Carol became popular here in the United States when Harry Belafonte recorded it in 1958.