Description: Christmas Songs and Carols, their lyrics, history, sheet music, and favorite artists.
history (7518) christmas (2448) songs (1949) winter (1554) lyrics (1126) night (642) xmas (267) bells (191) twelve (65) carols (35)
The word carol comes from the French word carole , meaning circle dance, or song of praise and joy. Naturally, Christmas Carols are songs of joy celebrating the birth of Jesus. In scripture the birth of Jesus is surrounded by music, " And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men ." (Luke 2:13-14).
The origins of Christmas Carols were adapted from ancient pagan songs that celebrated the Winter Solstice. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year and usually falls on December 21st. For the pagans the solstice held a special meaning and their traditions persisted into the Christian culture. As early as 129 AD, songs sung around the solstice had been changed to Christian hymns to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Christmas Carols as we know them have been sung for centuries and originated in Italy during the time of St. Francis of Assisi. Around 1223 AD, St. Francis of Assisi had begun performing nativity plays to show the birth of Jesus to local people and the poor. St. Francis and his monks recreated the scene of Jesus' birth to show the people that Jesus had been born in circumstances similar to theirs and that he was not from wealth or privilege.