Christmas Carol
Traditions
Learning about the Christmas
Carol Traditions and their origins will
give you a whole new excitement for singing them this holiday season
and each one following!
Read This Exciting
Presentation
_______________________________
The
tradition of caroling
and Christmas carols is
believed to
have
originated
in England
when wandering musicians would go from town to town and visit
castles and other homes of the rich to give impromptu performances.
But there
also is the belief that singing carols at Christmas likely came from
the group of
angels, shepherds and Wise Men who visited Jesus at his birth,
because they
worshiped the holy child, sang and proclaim praises unto Him. And
after their
visit, they continued their proclamations in the street.
The
origin of the word carol however, is thought to come from the
word 'caroller,'
which is a French word that describes a circle dance with singers.
And from
the twelfth through the fourteenth centuries, the carol was
highly popular
as a dance song. The use of carols then evolved to festivals where
they were sung
as processional songs and others were used as part of
religious mystery
plays in Europe.
Some traditional qualities of
a carol was that the words
expressed should celebrate a topic that was seasonal, have verses and
a chorus
arranged alternately and have music that was suitable for dancing.
Although
many of the carols that are now popular at Christmas time are very
old, there are
others from earlier times that didn't survive. During the 17th
century when the
Protestants, led by Oliver Cromwell were in power in England,
many Christmas
carols were banned and consequently some were never heard again.
The
Christmas
carols that survived the Protestant Reformation period didn't
become very
popular again until the mid-19th century to the start of the 20th
century.
Many of
the Christmas carols that were banned, and early Christmas carols
in general,
had lyrics that expressed joyous and merry themes instead of
the serious
somber words found in church hymns. During the time when carols
were banned,
some composers and musicians wrote non-religious songs that had
highly varied
choral music, which they called carols, for Christmas. After
Christmas carols
again became popular, many of those songs were re-arranged with
new Christian
lyrics and used by the church.
How Christmas
Carol Traditions Have
Influenced
Modern Times
Making
changes to Christmas carols continues in a different way today with
pop artistes
singing the carols to different tunes and melodies to give them a
style that
characterizes the particular artiste. Having Christmas carols with
tunes of contemporary
or popular music of today means that they are also more likely
to survive
because younger listeners will be interested in hearing any music
that is done
by their favorite or other popular singers.
The
popularity of Christmas carols in the United States
increased in the 19th century,
as it did in England,
because many of the traditions related to Christmas
came to the United States
from England.
The United States
and England also
have
closely linked religious observances, which also accounts for
the popularity
and similarity of Christmas carols that are enjoyed in
both countries.
Today,
radio stations are the first to play Christmas carols, usually
starting toward
mid-November, to signal the coming season.
At the start of December when the
Christmas season official begins, mall stores and other
retail establishments
will begin to pipe Christmas carols and songs through
their places
of
business.
The
singing
of carols at churches, schools, and by groups performing at
malls usually
will be a common sight starting in early to mid-December. Carol
singing as a part
of Nativity plays and concerts at churches and schools is usually
in full
swing by mid-December as the Christmas season gets into high gear and
the countdown
to Christmas Day begins.
Whether
it's the traditional tune or popular makeovers of Christmas carols
that you
enjoy, listening to them is part of an old Christmas tradition. And
any version of
a Christmas carol that is played will serve the purpose of
putting you in a
festive mood for Christmas that you may even want to dance, just
like the music
of original carols was meant to do.
We hope you
enjoyed Christmas Carol Traditions and that it will impact the
way you enjoy Christmas caroling this year and every year.
Many
blessings to you and your family.
Return To << Christmas
Activities
To find out more,
get this fantastic book that you can share with your family and friends
and all the bonuses that go with it.
This beautiful
presentation
of The
History Of
Christmas is a
lovely story
that you'll want to share with family, relatives and friends.
Leave Christmas Carol
Traditions For Home
Contact
I Privacy
Policy I About
Us I Links
