The “Sans Day Carol” is named after the Cornish village of St Day.
The carol is a traditional Cornish song also known as “St. Day Carol,” “The Holly Bears a Berry,” and “The Holly Tree.” It was collected around the beginning of the 20th century and is closely related to “The Holly and the Ivy.”
Folklorist Gilbert Hunter Doble learned and transcribed the song from W. D. Watson, who had learned it from Thomas Beard, a villager in St Day. St Day lies in the parish of Gwennap, which can cause confusion: Gwennap is the wider parish, but St Day is the village supplying the carol’s name.
The title is sometimes written “Sans Day,” reflecting a Cornish pronunciation or spelling of “Saint Day.” Its traditional text uses holly berries in different colours to symbolize episodes in the story of Christ.