Over the weeks leading up to Christmas, I thought it would be fun to explore some of the most popular Christmas carols in the English-speaking world, delve into their origins and try to unpick their meaning. As a lover of history, I’m really looking forward to it.
May I start with a caveat? I am definitely not a historian and we won’t be able to cover all the detail – or every carol. But hopefully, this series of articles will inspire you to do your own research, or perhaps give you a deeper appreciation of your favourite Christmas songs.
What then is a carol? How does it differ from other types of songs?
The Oxford Dictionary defines carols as: “…Christian religious songs that are sung at Christmas.” I think that’s how I would have described them too if anyone had put me on the spot. Sounds simple enough.
But the dictionary goes on to say that in British-English the meaning of the word carol can be more nuanced:
- a joyful hymn or religious song, esp one (a Christmas carol) celebrating the birth of Christ
- archaic an old English circular dance
This second definition seems closer to the original meaning. Britannica.com says:
“…strictly, a late medieval English song on any subject, in which uniform stanzas, or verses, alternate with a refrain, or burden…The medieval words carol and carole (French and Anglo-Norman) might mean a popular dance song with pagan associations, a courtly dance or dance song, a song of popular piety, a polyphonic (multipart) song in a certain style, and a popular religious procession.”
It seems likely that a carol was originally a song that was written with dancing and festivities in mind, rather than congregational worship (such as at a modern-day Carol service).
In medieval Europe, there were many religious festivals. For along with Easter and Christmas, the Roman Catholic Church has many celebratory days in the year. Carols were written for these festivals and that’s probably where the connection to Christianity originated.
The reformation of the 1600s caused many Europeans to leave the Roman Catholic religion. In those parts of Europe which embraced Protestantism (Germany, parts of Britain, Holland, etc) there were fewer religious festivals as believers sought to live their lives by Sola Scriptura (by Scripture alone). Hence far fewer carols were sung.
But protestants have celebrations too and some, such as Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, and Isaac Watts (and perhaps even Martin Luther), were involved in the creation of some of our most popular carols.
So carols are supposed to be for parties and for dancing. That’s why Luther’s A Mighty Fortress Is Our God and Away in a Manger feel different. One is a hymn, and the other is a carol. One was written for Christians to sing to each other and sing to God in worship; the other was written for singing around your Christmas tree.
With their mix of biblical themes, myth, and symbolism, carols can give us a very strange view of what Christmas is all about. Dig a little deeper though, and you often discover amazingly relevant truths for today’s world hidden away in some of our most popular carols.
NEXT TIME: The origin and meaning behind what is, arguably, one of the most famous carols in the English-Speaking world.
Yours Truthfully 