Christmas Carols
Time to celebrate one the Christian church’s time honoured tradition of singing carols at Christmas .
Perhaps not many people are aware that the custom began as far back as the 9th and 10th centuries. This is when Northern European monasteries developed the Christian hymn into a sequence of rhyming stanzas.
Early Christianity turned the pagan solstice tradition into a celebration for Christmas and gave people Christian songs to sing. In 129 a Roman Bishop said that a song called “Angel’s Hymn” should be sung at a Christmas service in Rome.
Soon afterwards, composers all over Europe began writing Christmas carols. Sadly not many people liked them since they were written and sung in Latin which few could understand. Soon people even lost interest in celebrating Christmas. All was not lost thanks to Italy’s most worthy and inspiring St Francis of Assisi…
By 1223, his nativity plays in Italy had people singing songs or canticles which told the Christian nativity story. Sometimes the choruses were in Latin but were often in a regional language which most people understood and could join in.
The new carols spread across Europe to France, Spain, Germany and neighbouring countries, often taking the form of a circle dance. Christmas carols in English first appeared in 1426. Shropshire chaplain John Awdlay wrote 25 carols for groups of wassailers who went from house to house with messages of good will.
By the Victorian period wassailers were carolling groups who travelled around the town before being rewarded with a hot, spiced drink, known as ‘wassail’.” This was a tradition observed at our church for many years, enjoyed by young and old alike.
“Here we come a wassailing among the leaves so green
Here we come a wassailing so fair to be seen
Love and joy come to you and to you your wassail too
And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year
And God send you a happy New Year.”
— Lynn Radnedge