Does “Personent Hodie” have anything to do with persons wearing hoodies?

Sorry.  Couldn’t resist.  And of course the answer is “no,” although hooded monks have probably sung this carol many times through the ages.

So what does the title mean, and (leading question here) are there any interesting facts about the song’s background?  “Personent” means to resound or resonate, literally “to sound through.”  “Hodie” shows up in many Latin Christmas carols; it simply means “today” or “this day.”  So the title means something like “let resounding happen today.”  Perhaps before I go any further I should provide the Latin verses and their literal English translation so that you’ll know what I’m talking about as I go through said background:

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