Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here. I’m really pleased to be kicking off our series of posts about Christmas Carols with some of the backstory behind caroling itself.
And what a backstory it is. The history of Christmas carols and caroling is as rich and diverse as the songs themselves. And whether you belt these out solo or when you’re with friends, learning where these songs and practices come from, and how they’ve survived and evolved over the centuries, can help you appreciate them even more.
First did you know the word carol means celebration? That means when we say Christmas carol we are actually saying Christmas celebration. And what better way to celebrate than to sing songs of adoration and hope.
Now for a quick overview of the history.
Although most people associate Christmas carols with the Christian faith, the act of caroling was originally a dance and the accompanying songs in a pagan celebration during the winter solstice.
Then, in the early days of England, the tradition of wassailing began. You may have heard the word wassail before but not known what it meant or thought it referred to a drink. The word wassail comes from the Old Norse words ves heill which translates to the phrase “be well and in good health”. At first wassailing was carried out by folks going house to house during the cold, dark winter months to deliver well wishes to the occupants totally apart from Christmas.
But in the late 13th century St. Francis of Assisi appropriated the practice for Christian purposes. He added carols to his nativity plays and Christmas mass, in fact he actively encouraged members of his church to embrace music as part of their worship and celebration not only in services but also in the home. And in doing so, he began to shift the focus to Christmas specific carols. However, the songs were passed down orally from person to person across generations for several hundred years until the late 16th century when some of them were finally collected and written down.
As time passed, composers produced more and more Christmas carols. Celebrating the Savior’s birth, these songs were reflections of the deep spiritual emotions around the Christ child and His mother Mary. These carols continued to grow in quantity and popularity until the 17th century when the Protestant Reformation swept over continental Europe. The reformation shifted worship practices towards a more austere focus and many of the carols were banned and lost to time.
Of course caroling did eventually make a return to favor and came back stronger than ever. While countries around the world have their own unique take on Christmas celebrations and traditions, today caroling is an almost universal part of the festivities.
There you have it – a quick overview of the history of carols and caroling. Over the next several days my Filly sisters will do a deeper dive into the stories behind some of our favorite individual carols. And I think some of the stories will surprise and touch you.
Wishing everyone a very joyous and blessed Christmas Day.