Christmas Carols
Christmas holds a special place not only in the hearts of the Christian community but also of the entire globe.
Celebrated on the 25th of December, Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ.
Brightly decorated Christmas trees, nicely wrapped presents and the delicious smell of roasted turkey, and together binds the spirit of Christmas.
And the beauty of this very spirit is further enhanced with the sweet melody of Christmas carols.
Popularly known as carols, these hymns or songs are sung traditionally during the Christmas season to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
They carry within themselves an intrinsic message of the festival with joyous expressions and beautiful words adorned in uniquely sweet tunes.
Meaning dance or a song of praise and joy; the tradition of Christmas carols hails back to the 13th century.
Though originally sung as communal songs during harvest tide festivals, carols became quite popular as Christmas songs and were later also sung in the churches.
However with the rise of the protestant churches, after the Reformation in the countries, the popularity of carols suffered a huge decline.
Fortunately, the Christmas carols were again repopularised with the help of composers like Arthur Sullivan. And it was during this period that favorites like-“Good King Wenceslas” and “It came upon the midnight clear”-gained prominence.
Sung at every Christian religious service, carols today form an integral part of Christianity and also of Christmas.
Interestingly, there are several compositions, like the 16th century song-“A Bone, God Wot!”; that even though does not have words based on a religious theme, are considered as “carols”.
On a concluding note, therefore, it could be said that, religious or not, Christmas carols are an unavoidable part of the joyous celebration of Christmas as “O little Town of Bethlehem”, “Oh Holy Night” and “Jingle bells” indeed goes a long way to establish and cherish the true spirit of Christmas.
