The History of Christmas Carols

By Jeff Ware, Student Life Pastor

 

In a place I love, amongst people I love, I get this chance to write on a subject that I love—the history of Christmas Carols. So, to begin, we must acknowledge that Christmas Carols (and I mean the ones about Christ and not a mythical reindeer) are Hymns. I know that we do not sing many hymns in our congregation, so this word may be somewhat foreign to you. Before we go too far, I believe it would be beneficial to speak on what exactly hymnody is and how it shapes our Christian heritage.

 

So what is Hymnody? I think to speak of hymnody simply as one of several congregational options for songs to sing is to clip its wings and cage it in a conversation too small. Sure, hymnody can sing there but confined there, it will never soar to its true potential. The word hymn has a wide and welcoming definition. Over the years, poets have come to agree that a hymn is a "poem of uniform meter and rhyme scheme, directed to or about God."

 

What is interesting is the flexibility in this definition. In recent history, this has meant that the best of gospel songs, praise choruses, and even modern worship songs have, over time, become hymns! Maybe we should think of hymns as notes left along the way by Christians who have walked this path before us. We pick up these notes, and they say:

  • In this situation, here is how God helped me.
  • In this difficulty, here is how I was healed.
  • When things were good, this is the song we sang to rejoice.
  • Another may say, here is a bit of light for when you are in a time of darkness.
  • And of course, this time of year… Here is the best story ever told.

 

Based on this, we can agree that hymns are bits and pieces of theology, doctrine, and even commentary. One of the most interesting things to me about hymns is the universality of their message among Christian traditions.

 

Holy, Holy, Holy: is it Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian? They all stand up and say, "YES, it is ours!" Amazing Grace: is it Congregationalist, Lutheran, Catholic, Pentecostal? Once again, they all stand up and say, "YES, it is ours!" and in the chorus of claims, we hear a prelude to an answer to Jesus' prayer in John 17: 20, "Make my followers one."

 

If we were to go to a church, whichever one it may be, we would find the same Christmas Hymns in each of them. Even if you say, "Well, we don't have hymnals…" While that may be true, your congregation still has a cannon of hymns that it knows. You may be saying, "I thought we were going to talk about Christmas music…" We are, but first, we need to acknowledge that it is a hymn and understand what that means to us.

I am only 31 years old, but I am old school in this sense. I love the old hymns and I will defend them to the grave. I am not saying that we should do away with modern worship songs. I love those too. What I am saying is that we need hymns. Its doctrine and theology are our heritage. The freed church is our heritage. Maintaining this book of common praise and prayer is our heritage and responsibility. We must teach it to our children.

 

During the Christmas Season, we sing hymns about the birth of Christ. Why? The birth of Jesus was celebrated 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, goodwill toward men." (Luke 2:13-14). 

 

Christians of the 1st century continued the tradition of the angels. There are historical records from as early as 129 AD of songs written specifically for Christmas celebrations. These Christmas songs were primarily written in Latin and were not called carols, but hymns.

 

The word carol derives from a French word meaning circle dance, or song of praise and joy. The singing of carols did not originate with Christianity but with the pagan practice of celebrating the seasons. The Winter Solstice celebration generally took place around the 22nd of December. Being the marketing genius that Emperor Constantine was, it was this time of the year that the Christians claimed for their own celebration of the birth of Christ.

 

The majority of the first Christmas Carols were written in Latin, which was understood only by members of the elite churched few. Because of this, by the Middle Ages (the 1200s), many Christians lost interest in the singing of Christmas Carols. 

 

During the Great Reformation, there was a revival of hymns, including singing Christmas Carols in the language of the people. And although it would be many years before the Christmas Carol would come into its own, new freedoms were coming to the common people, including the right to worship as they chose and to sing music how, when, and where they pleased.

 

During the Victorian era, the singing of Christmas Carols was revived. People began singing on the streets, in homes, and in once again in Churches. The tradition of 'Caroling' from home to home was born.

 

In honor of the angel's announcement to the shepherds and of the star leading the wise men, the custom of lighting candles while singing on Christmas Eve was instituted. Of course, we know that this custom remains today in our Candlelight Christmas Eve Services.

 

Now the joy of music filled England once again and spread throughout Europe (and eventually to the New World). The sounds and sights of Christmas, rejoicing and peace announced by the angels; the music of Christmas had refused to be silenced! The songs that were once quieted because of fear and ignorance now sound out freely throughout much of the world, not only from Christian homes and churches but also from elevators and shopping mall sound systems.

 

Even unbelievers enjoy the music and the sights; the lights and the trees. Most everyone knows that Christmas time is somehow different from all the other seasons. No matter what style of music a person may choose to enjoy the rest of the year, the traditional Christmas Hymns break through the musical preferences and barriers, to be universally recognized as the most beloved music of all people; of all times.

 

So why do we sing?

 

Colossians 3 & Ephesians 5 bring this out simply but powerfully, telling us to sing "to God" and "to the Lord" because He is the object of our praise. Singing has such a unique way of bringing your heart, soul, mind, and strength together to focus entirely and completely on God.  In an age of distraction – singing grabs the attention of all our senses and focuses us on God.

In Revelation 7:9-10, John describes a glimpse of eternity with a great multitude of people from every tribe and language singing before the Lamb, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

 

Sing this Christmas season. Sing in every season. Singing matters, and it matters that we do it together.