A long, long time ago in ancient Europe, people sang special songs called carols during the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. These carols weren’t about Christmas back then; they were joyful songs and dances to celebrate the season.
Did you know that the word ‘carol’ means a song or dance of praise and joy? People sang carols all year round, not just in winter.
When Christianity spread, carols changed too. They became songs to celebrate the birth of Jesus. One of the earliest Christmas carols was called the ‘Angel’s Hymn,’ sung way back in the year 129. Many of the early carols were written in Latin.
This all changed thanks to St. Francis of Assisi in 1223. He introduced nativity plays, live shows about the story of Jesus’ birth, and included songs in local languages so everyone could join in the fun.
From there, Christmas carols spread across Europe, becoming the cheerful songs we know and love, sung in homes, school concerts, and church choirs.
Carols went through some tough times, though. During the Puritan era, people weren’t allowed to sing them in public. But carols didn’t disappear. People kept singing them in secret until they made a big comeback in Victorian England.
Historians like William Sandys and Davis Gilbert collected and preserved old carols, and new ones were written too. That’s when traditions like carol singing and special services became popular.
Now let’s get to know some stories behind some of the Christmas songs we love to sing and hear during the holidays.
‘Silent Night’
‘Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace’
This beloved carol was written in 1818 in the small Austrian village of Oberndorf.
The organist was unable to play the organ due to a broken bellows, so the priest, Joseph Mohr, asked his friend Franz Gruber to compose a simple melody that could be played on the guitar.
The result was a beautiful and haunting song that has become a Christmas classic.
‘Jingle Bells’
‘Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh, hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh’
A long time ago, in 1850, a man named James Lord Pierpont lived in a town called Medford, Massachusetts and there’s a special plaque in Medford town square that honours him for writing this famous song.
When Pierpont first published the song in 1857, he called it ‘One Horse Open Sleigh’. It had three verses in addition to the part we sing today.
The song tells the story of a young couple who ride in a sleigh, only to tumble into a snowdrift! As more and more people started singing it, the song got a new name: ‘Jingle Bells’.
In 1889, the song was recorded for the very first time on something called an Edison cylinder, which was like an early version of a record. Although that recording has been lost, another one from 1898 can still be heard online today.
‘O Holy Night’
‘O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth’
A long time ago, in 1847, a man named Placide Cappeau wrote the beautiful hymn ‘O Holy Night’. It started as a French song but was later translated into English by John Sullivan Dwight.
With its beautiful melody and meaningful words, this song has become a favourite during Christmas celebrations everywhere.
‘White Christmas’
‘I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow’
Written by Irving Berlin in 1940, ‘White Christmas’ is one of the most famous holiday songs ever.
Its warm, nostalgic words remind us of snowy Christmas mornings, and Bing Crosby’s version in the movie ‘Holiday Inn’ made it an instant hit. It’s one of the best-selling songs of all time.
‘Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer’
‘Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows’
This jolly tune started in 1949 as a story written by Robert L. May for a department store.
It’s all about Rudolph, a little reindeer with a glowing red nose, who goes from being teased to saving Christmas. Its sweet message of kindness and courage has made Rudolph a beloved holiday hero.
‘Little Drummer Boy’
‘Come they told me
Pa rum pum pum-pum
A newborn King to see
Pa rum pum pum-pum
Our finest gifts we bring
Pa rum pum pum-pum
To lay before the King
Pa rum pum pum-pum
Rum pum pum-pum
Rum pum pum-pum’
‘Little Drummer Boy’ tells the heartwarming story of a boy who plays his drum as a gift for Baby Jesus.
The song was written in 1941 by Katherine Kennicott Davis. Its simple yet touching melody has been loved all over the world and sung in many languages.