Christmas Carols - Day 84 - Daily Content Challenge
Music at Christmas Time is pretty special to me. I love Christmas Carols.
Today’s ornament shows some Sheet Music wrapped as a scroll and tied with a bow.
We sing Christmas carols because they are a way of telling the story of the nativity and the birth of Jesus. While explaining what happened around Jesus’ birth, the carols also help us express the joy and awe-inspiring scenes of the nativity.
The word Carol means a dance of praise and joy! Carols are joyful songs. Early Christians took over the winter solstice celebrations and gave people Christian songs to sing instead of pagan ones. In 129 AD, a Roman Bishop said that the song called ‘Angel’s Hymn’ should be sung at a Christmas service in Rome.
It is believed the first carol service was held at Truro Cathedral, Cornwall, England in 1880. It was organized by Bishop Benson, who later became the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Caroling is an oral tradition passed down from generation to generation. An early version of caroling dates back to the 13th C. In its earliest days people went from house to house giving out well wishes during the colder months. This was called wassailing. Does that remind you of the song, ‘Here we go a-wassailing, among the leaves so green’? I think I will tell you about that story another day.
Today, people still go from house to house singing carols. Often it is an opportunity to bring joy and good cheer to shut-ins or to visit a Seniors Lodge and share Christmas joy with others. Even in Covid Times it is possible to practice physical distancing and enjoy caroling with family and friends.
Carols, whether sung in a carol service or with a group of friends and family, bring us together and help us connect with one another. One of my favorites is ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’. This joyful hymn brings people together in a community of praise. I like this carol because I can sing a verse of it in Latin. Adeste fideles. [I took Latin in school and this is one of the few times I get to use this information I consumed for four years of my teen years!]
What is your favorite Christmas Carol? If you are like me, it is hard to pick just one!
