The very first thing that reminds us that Christmas is just a moment away, is when we started hearing Christmas songs in establishments. New Christmas compositions as well as old ones starts to be heard wherever we go.
Back in the olden times, there were no Christmas carols during Christmas time. Instead they were actually secular dances which were done at any time of the year. It was only in the 16th century were Christmas hymns were known and later on known as Christmas carols.
Wherever we go, people in the entire globe are so immersed into listening Christmas carols that we sometimes failed to question ourselves “Why?” One probable answer was taken from the story of the birth of Christ, where shepherds met the angels who sang announcing good tidings of Jesus Christ’s birth.
During the 13th century, carols were considered common songs, which later became linked to church and Christmas. They are usually performed by a choral group. One of the most famous songs were the Middle English carols entitled “Angels” and “Personent Ho Die”. Yet, these songs lost its fame after the period of Reformation. It was however revived by Arthur Sullivan and made the Christmas song “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear” popular.
In England, Poland and Bulgaria they carry out the custom of “wassailing”, where a chorale hops from house to house and gets rewarded with money, pies, or a drink. The money raised during this activity is usually given to charitable trust.
In Australia, Christmas carols by candlelight astound the city in the evening. Christmas songs were sung by opera singers in Melbourne and are fairly popular with it.
Nowadays, Christmas carols are fast becoming secular. They are no longer exclusively sung by Bishops and clergy, but also by popular singers and bands. As defined, carols mean a “pleasant religious song commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. However, they are presently played with the use of several musical instruments. People all over the globe can’t stop themselves from appreciating the compositions and the contemporary musical arrangements of various bands. It is becoming even more famous when they are frequently used in online greeting cards.
The song entitled “A Christmas Carol” expressing the real meaning of Christmas was popularized by Dickens and can never go forgotten. A Christian model, Scrooge, is a perfect example showing what Christmas really is.
In the new age scenario however, it seem unusual to note that Christmas carols are still widely famous. This is mainly because though the nature of the songs depicts religiosity, its lyrics on the other hand were fashioned into excellent arrangement making Christmas songs more universal and contemporary in nature.
Christmas carols are part of our tradition nowadays. The songs and lyrics are mostly a reminder to us that we are God’s blessed children. However, we should not be entirely focused on what the tunes and the songs it makes us feel, but we must also understand the real meaning why the whole world celebrates Christmas.