On the night of December 24^th–25^th Catholics and Protestants, as well as Orthodox churches in Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt  celebrate Christmas. For Orthodox people of faith that live according to the Julian calendar, the Christmas holiday also comes on December 25, but according to the Gregorian calendar, which we use in everyday life, this day falls on January 7. From a historical point of view, the background of the holiday for Catholics and Orthodox is the same: both celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem.

Music always accompanied winter holidays. The status of Christmas as one of the main holidays in the church calendar implied the need to compose music to accompany it. "Christmas song" is a capacious and ambiguous concept. It mixes folk and church music, ancient and modern, English, German, Spanish, French, Russian and Ukrainian.

The history of one of the most popular Christmas carols “Silent Night, Holy Night” is fascinating. According to one version of the story of “Silent Night” appearance, the emphasis was on the divine inspiration that descended on the priest Joseph Mohr on Christmas Eve and then on the author of the music, organist Franz Gruber.

... Shortly before Christmas, the organ in the church was out of order, and the saddened priest went wandering through the snowy mountain slopes in search of peace of mind and an answer to the question – how to get out of a tough? How to serve Christmas Mass without music?! Entering one of the houses, Father Mohr saw a baby in a cradle and its mother bent over it. The scene shocked him with its simplicity and grandeur, and he vividly visualized the picture of what was happening in Bethlehem. On his return, Josef Mohr wrote the text of the song in one breath and took it to the organist Franz Gruber, who just as quickly wrote an unpretentious melody for guitar accompaniment.

From that moment, the triumphal acknowledgment of “Silent Night” across countries and continents began. It is interesting that Russia played not the least role in increasing the song's popularity. Thus, Emperor Alexander I first heard this carol in 1822, during his visit to Austria. As the legend implied, the artists were so worried during the performance in front of august personages (Austrian Emperor Franz I was present at the concert as well) that they could sing only when they were hidden behind a curtain. Nevertheless, Alexander I was so pleased with the performance, that after the concert, the Emperor hugged the performers and invited them to come to Russia, where the Russian public heard the "Silent Night" for the first time.

Metal disc by Polyphon Musikwerke with the encoded melody of the carol  “Silent Night”  is stored the museum Collection exposition. Of all the famous Christmas songs, – "Silent Night", perhaps, is the most gentle and intimate. A prayer for peace and quiet sounds unostentatiously in it.

UNESCO declared "Silent Night" an intangible cultural heritage in 2011.

Merry Christmas to everyone! May this magical holiday fill your life with light, warmth, joy and well-being.