Christmas carols: history and traditions

Nov 4 2009 By Neil MacDonald

Christmas carols

Have you ever wondered why we have Christmas carols, or what, in fact, the first Christmas carol was? Well, we have all the answers.

* Although now an established Christmas tradition, the earlier carols were sung thousands of years ago by pagans celebrating Winter Solstice.

* The word carol or carole is a medieval word of French or Anglo-Norman origin, meaning a dance song or circle dance, with singing.

* As Christianity spread, carols became associated with Christian songs and celebrations instead, although they were nearly all written in Latin, which few people understood, meaning their popularity was limited.

* The first recognisable Christmas carol was composed by St Francis of Assisi in 1223, when he composed his Nativity Plays in Italy in more common language. These plays included songs that told the story and their popularity spread across Europe.

* Early carols - usually revolving around saints, Jesus or Mary - were usually performed by travelling minstrels, who used to change the lyrics depending on where the carols were being performed.

T* he tradition of carol singers going from door to door came about because they were banned from churches in the Middle Ages.

* Carol singing was outlawed by Oliver Cromwell in 1647, although they were still sung in secret. They regained popularity in Victorian times, when many new carols were written and public carol services became commonplace.

Now to do a little caroling of your own... find the words to your favourite carols here:
* Joy to the World
* We Wish you a Merry Christmas
* Good King Wenceslas
* The Christmas Song
* Ding Dong Merrily on High
* We Three Kings 
* Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer 
* Jingle Bells 
* Away in a Manger