' (' in older sources, English: "In that time of year") is a Croatian Christmas carol. In its original form, it consists of approximately 30 stanzas, but is shortened in more recent versions to as little as 4. The song enjoys particular popularity in Dalmatia.
History.
The basis for the first version is speculated to have been derived from a translation of an 11th-century Latin cantinela . However, it was later proven that the text of the final redaction most likely developed from the Christmas
liturgical play and the sight of the Biblical Magi was only preserved in the glagolitic writing from the 15th century.
The first version of is found in the c. 1400-1450 Glagolithic Beram missal from Istria, originally written in the scriptorium of Bartol Krbavac. It was also recorded in the 1468 Petris miscellany from the island of Krk. From there, it gradually spread to Dalmatia, and then north, to Slavonia, being recorded in Pavlinski zbornik from 1644, and Cithara octochorda (18th century).
Lyrics.
The most recent version (Štokavian), dating from 1934:
Cithara octochorda, 1757 (Kajkavian), printed in Zagreb:
Melody.
There are several versions of the melody, of which the most widely used one is from Dubrovnik. Musical historians noted a similarity of this particular melody with a pastorale by Italian composer Girolamo Frescobaldi, noting the melody had outside influences, however it was subsequently dismissed as a coincidence.